SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Four games between the Wittenberg Tigers and the Wabash Little Giants yielded four very different results in a wet and wild North Coast Athletic Conference West Division weekend. By the end of a busy 36 hours, the Tigers had taken three of four from the Little Giants, including a scintillating 9-8 decision in the finale Sunday.
While a sweep would have been nice, the Tigers can take solace in the fact that they are back in the NCAC West race. After dropping their first two division games last weekend at Ohio Wesleyan and a pair of one-run nonconference decisions to Ohio Athletic Conference powerhouses Otterbein and Muskingum during the week, the Tigers came on strong against Wabash to claim wins of 4-2 and 13-5 on Saturday. The next day, the two teams traded rallies as Wabash won the opener 11-7 and the Tigers closed things down with a 9-8 victory.
In Game 1, the two teams put their top starters on the mound and they engaged in a pitchers duel. Wittenberg senior Tyler McClain (Springfield, Ohio/North) got the better of things despite allowing eight hits and four walks in seven innings. He allowed two runs in the fifth inning, but that wasn't enough to match Wittenberg's two runs in both the first and second innings. Offensively, sophomore Jacob Michael (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty) drove in two runs and sophomorePatrick Williams (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield) added a 2-for-2 performance with a run scored.
In the second game Saturday, the Tigers scored at least one run in each of the first six innings, keyed by four runs batted in from freshman Chris Dorka (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington), three hits each from Michael and junior Tyler Christello (Eaton, Ohio/Eaton) and three runs scored by freshman Sam Stough (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman). The offensive barrage, made possible in large part by six Wabash errors, made a winner out of freshman Bobby Ciucki (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman), who went five innings before sophomore Chris Green (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) closed things out with two innings of scoreless relief.
Game 3 offered another new storyline as the teams traded the lead multiple times before the Tigers rallied with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to tie the game at 7-7. Instead of providing Wittenberg with momentum, the Little Giants came right back with four runs in the top of the seventh and closed out the Tigers 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning.
Freshman Darin Mumaw (Fort Loramie, Ohio/Fort Loramie) took the loss in relief after the Tigers had pushed across seven runs on just five hits and three walks in the game. Christello led with two hits and two RBI, while sophomore J.T. Thompson (Clayton, Ohio/Northmont) scored twice.
So after a pitcher's duel, an error-aided Wittenberg blowout and a Wabash rally, it was only fitting that the Tigers close things out with a rally of their own. A Wittenberg error in the top of the seventh inning opened the door for the Little Giants, who kicked it open with a six-run rally that was capped by a Matt Dodaro grand slam that made the score 8-7.
However, freshman Kory Winter (Dublin, Ohio/Scioto) was bailed out to earn the win in relief as the Tigers coaxed three walks in the bottom of the seventh. That set the stage for a two-run single up the middle from sophomore Jon Dalton (Beavercreek, Ohio/Beavercreek). Stough, Christello and Williams scored two runs each in the game.
After a busy eight-day stretch in which the Tigers played eight games, the Tigers have a few days off before perhaps the biggest weekend of the season. Wittenberg travels to Denison April 6-7 for four key NCAC West games.