WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - The Wittenberg baseball team kicked off the 2010 campaign Sunday with a doubleheader split versus Trine at the Russ Matt Invitational, dropping the opener 13-4 but grabbing back the second game in a 6-1 win.
The Thunder, also playing their first game of the season, hit the ball hard in game one, tagging junior starting pitcher Zach Spring (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty) for 12 runs, all earned, on 11 hits. Trine broke out for seven runs in the third after being held scoreless in the first inning and scoring one in the second. They added three in the fourth and one in the sixth. Wittenberg pushed their first across in the fifth, and scored three in the seventh when junior catcher Jason Haunty (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) belted a three-run home run over the left center field wall, the Tigers' first of the season.
Sophomore Andy Sharek (Sewickley, Pa./Sewickley Academy) also pitched in the game, finishing the last two and two-thirds innings with four hits and one run.
In the nightcap the two teams slowly battled until Wittenberg expanded a 3-1 lead into the final 6-1 margin in the sixth inning. The Tigers scored one in the first inning when junior Ray Noe (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome) doubled in junior Mike Yednock (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington).
Trine put one across in the third, the only blemish on an otherwise impressive outing from senior starting pitcher Joel Assenheimer (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson), who went five innings and scattered six hits with six strikeouts while issuing just one walk. Wittenberg countered with one in the bottom of the third when freshmanNick Van Dyne (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) walked aboard and went to second on a walk to Yednock, then moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Noe.
Senior A.J. Bush (Troy, Ohio/Troy) doubled his way on in the fifth, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from freshman Grant Goodwin (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson)and scored when a Kory Winter (Dublin, Ohio/Scioto) fly ball to left fell untouched behind the Trine fielder.
The Tigers tacked on three runs in the sixth, the first of which came courtesy of four walks by the Thunder. Then, with two outs, Van Dyne hit a grounder which rolled under the glove of the Trine shortstop and slowly out into center field, allowing Bush and Goodwin to come around to complete Wittenberg's scoring.
In all, the Tigers scored their six runs on four hits, two Trine errors, six walks and three hit batsmen. Noe and Winter led the team with two RBI apiece, Noe on 1-of-2 batting, Winter on an 0-for-1 outing. He brought one around on the error in left field and walked with the bases loaded in the sixth. In the first game, Haunty was 1-for-2 with three RBI and Van Dyne went 2-for-4 from the plate.
Senior Darrin Mumaw (Fort Loramie, Ohio/Fort Loramie) entered in the sixth to provide two innings of hitless relief from the mound to pick up the save.
The Tigers return to the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex Monday, March 8, for a doubleheader with Albion College, getting started at 9:30 a.m.