Mid April Baseball Recap

Wittenberg University's baseball team has won nine of its last 10 games, including two of three over the weekend against North Coast Athletic Conference West Division rival Denison University. The Tigers, who had a season-best eight-game win streak ended on Sunday by the Big Red, face an important four-game conference schedule this week. The Tigers play a makeup game against Wabash on Tuesday, and then Wittenberg heads east to Ohio Wesleyan for a three-game weekend series. The Tigers trail the nationally ranked Battling Bishops by one-half game in the West Division starting the week.

Junior centerfielder Lance Dill (Bellville, Ohio/Clear Fork) had two home runs and five runs batted in as Wittenberg defeated Kenyon, 9-7, onApril 19 in a non-league game. Jay Nunn (Bellefontaine, Ohio/Bellefontaine) came in with a tenuous one-run lead and going three scoreless innings for his first career save.

The Tigers then split a doubleheader on Sunday against NCAC West foe Denison, winning the opener 6-5 and losing thenightcap 8-5. Senior first baseman Brad Pochard (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay) and junior third basemanJeff Buelow (Oakland, Mich./Rochester) each drove in two runs in Game 1, while senior outfielder Ryan Peters (London, Ohio/London) went 4-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in game two. Peters ranks among the NCAC leaders in home runs, batting average and RBI this season.

The top two teams in each division will square off in a best of three series on May 5-6. The winners advance to the tournament finals May 10-11 at Thurman Munson Stadium in Canton. The teams in third through fifth in each series will play crossover series on May 5-6 to determine the final league standings. The Tigers are in position to head back to the tournament again in 2001, most likely joining nationally ranked Wooster and Allegheny from the East Division and OWU from the West.