SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Coming off a tough week for the Wittenberg pitching staff in the Sunshine State and the 2009 home opener against Urbana, the Tigers righted the ship with a pair of strong defensive performances in a doubleheader sweep of Earlham College. Kicking off conference play, the Tiger bats continued their quick pace, providing plenty of offense in the 7-3 and 9-3 wins.
In Game 1, junior lefty Kory Winter (Dublin, Ohio/Scioto)provided sterling relief for 5.2 innings while the Tigers rallied from an early deficit to pull away with the win. Down 2-0, the Tigers began their rally with an A.J. Bush (Troy, Ohio/Troy) single and RBI, part of a two-hit, three-RBI day for the junior catcher.
Game 2 saw an even distribution of the offense, with eight of the nine batters collecting a hit, while all nine touched home plate. All told, the nine runs, including seven in the decisive second inning, would be more than enough for sophomore starter Jordan Kegler (Hilliard, Ohio/Darby), who picked up the win by scattering six hits in five innings while punching out three.
Wittenberg's first two-game winning streak of the 2009 season comes at an important time, as the Red & White looks to get a jumpstart on the NCAC West field. The same two teams will meet twice more on Sunday, March 22 from Carleton Davidson Stadium.
Written by: Ben Bradley, SID Assistant