CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. - The usually offensive-minded Wittenberg Tigers got a leg up in a key North Coast Athletic Conference West Division series at Wabash on Saturday, claiming a doubleheader sweep on the strength of a pair of fine pitching performances, which amounted to wins of 5-0 and 4-3 in eight innings.
The Tigers improved to 14-10 overall and, more importantly, 6-4 in the NCAC West heading into Sunday's doubleheader, also at the Little Giants' home field. After four-game splits with Ohio Wesleyan and Denison earlier this season, the Tigers need to win at least one of the final two games to give themselves a chance to be one of two teams in the five-team division to advance to the season-ending four-team NCAC Tournament.
In the opener, the story was senior righthander Jason Holmberg, who continues to get better and better as the season goes along. In tossing a complete-game six-hitter, Holmberg improved to 5-0 on the 2006 season. He allowed just one walk and one extra-base hit as the Little Giants stranded all seven baserunners they had.
Offensively, the Tigers struck for two runs in the first inning, two runs in the sixth inning and an insurance tally in the seventh. Sophomore Jon Fox, freshman Patrick Williams and sophomore Matt Steinke collected two hits each, with Williams scoring twice. Five different players drove in one run for the Tigers.
The nightcap went overtime as the two teams finished the scheduled seven innings in a 3-3 tie. In the top of the eighth, senior Brian Hampp's one-out single started the rally and Williams finished it with a single through the middle that scored pinch-runner Rocky Staton. Sophomore Joel Puthoff worked the final 1.2 innings for his second win of the season.
Hampp finished the day with three hits and a run scored and Williams added two hits and the game-winning RBI. Much like the opener, the Tigers spread the wealth offensively as four different players collected runs batted in.
Finally, the two wins brought Wittenberg Head Coach Jay Lewis to a landmark. He matched legendary Howard "Red" Maurer for career coaching wins at Wittenberg with 203. Maurer did it in a completely different era, gaining his 203 wins over a 25-year span ending in 1975, while Lewis has done it in 10 seasons. Maurer, however, does have the higher winning percentage, a function of the shorter seasons of years gone by.