PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - The Wittenberg Tigers opened the 2007 season with a doubleheader split with Loras College on the opening day of the Russ Matt Tournament in Port Charlotte, Fla. Wittenberg won the opener 7-5 but lost the nightcap 8-7 in eight innings.
The Tigers took a four-run lead in the first inning of the first game and then held on for the win. Wittenberg added a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth, taking advantage of five Loras errors. Sophomore Jacob Michael (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty) finished 2-for-3 with a run scored, sophomore Jon Dalton (Beavercreek, Ohio/Beavercreek) added two runs batted in, including a key single in the first inning, and junior Jeremey Freuwirth (Beavercreek, Ohio/Beavercreek) contributed an RBI single as well.
Loras scored two runs in the fourth inning off Wittenberg starter Trey Richardson (Urbana, Ohio/West Liberty-Salem), a senior who was backed by errorless Tiger defense to pick up the victory. Two pitchers later, sophomore Josh Fiebiger (Fletcher, Ohio/Miami East) picked up the save with a scoreless seventh inning.
The nightcap had all the earmarks of a replay as the Tigers jumped out to a 5-2 lead through three innings. But Loras put up four runs in the fourth inning and the teams then alternated one-run innings. The Tigers tied the game with a run in the seventh inning, only to lose it in the eighth as Loras pushed across the winning run.
Freshman Bobby Ciucki (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) started and pitched into the sixth inning before freshman Joel Assenheimer (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) relieved and eventually took the loss. Offensively, the Tigers picked up big games from seniorAndrew Wellman (Huntington, W.Va./Huntington), who went 2-for-4 with a run scored, Dalton, who was a perfect 3-for-3 with an RBI and two runs, and junior Matt Steinke (Wapakoneta, Ohio/St. Mary's Memorial), who had an RBI triple among his three hits.