NEW CONCORD, Ohio - A young team struggling to find its identity can ill afford to spot one of the top teams in the region a seven-run lead on its home field. The Wittenberg Tigers, in this case the youthful visitor, came all the way back from a seven-run second-inning deficit before losing 8-7 to host Muskingum.
The loss dropped the Tigers to 6-10 on the young as they lost for seventh time in eight games since returning from their annual Spring Break trip to Florida. Muskingum improved to 15-1.
The Muskies scored in just two innings, with seven coming in the second inning as three Wittenberg pitchers attempted to stem the tide. Sophomore Tim Antil (Brookville, Ohio/Brookville) finally got the Tigers out of the inning, giving them a chance to rally.
And rally they did, scoring five runs in the third inning, highlighted by a grand slam by junior Matt Steinke (Wapakoneta, Ohio/St. Mary's Memorial). All five Tiger runs were unearned.
Single runs in the fourth and eighth innings tied the score, but Muskingum came up with the winning run in the bottom of the eighth.
The Tigers made the most of their seven hits in the game as freshman Sam Stough (Dublin, Ohio/Scioto) added two hits and three runs scored to the attack.