SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - A day after booting away their home opener, the Wittenberg Tigers put together an outstanding all-around performance in a 12-0 whitewashing of visiting Hiram.
The win, earned on a cold, blustery day that was fortunately devoid of any precipitation, improved the Tigers to 6-4 on the young season. The Red & White will put the wraps on its annual Wittenberg Tournament with a game against John Carroll at 4 p.m. Sunday. The Blue Streaks, 19-8 winners over Hiram in Saturday's second game, will face the Terriers at 1 p.m. in another nine-inning game.
When it comes to winning basketball, it all starts with quality pitching, and the Tigers got outstanding performances from freshmen Bobby Ciucki (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) and Darin Mumaw (Fort Loramie, Ohio/Fort Loramie) on the mound. The tandem combined to shut Hiram down on just three hits, all singles, while allowing just one runner to reach third base in the game.
Offensively, the Tigers put together their second-biggest scoring output and hit count through the first quarter of the 2007 season. Wittenberg banged out 16 hits, including four doubles, in the game, led by three base knocks apiece from juniorMatt Steinke (Wapakoneta, Ohio/St. Mary's Memorial), freshman Chris Dorka (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) and sophomore Jon Dalton (Beavercreek, Ohio/Beavercreek).
Dorka and Dalton knocked in three runs each to drive the offense. Steinke, juniorJeremey Fruhwirth (Beavercreek, Ohio/Beavercreek) and junior Joel Puthoff (Houston, Ohio/Russia) scored two apiece to lead a balanced Wittenberg attack.