SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Wittenberg baseball team split a home doubleheader with Oberlin thanks to a come-from-behind 6-3 victory on a home run by junior Matt Hampp (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) in the nightcap to move to 13-9 overall and 3-1 in the North Coast Athletic Conference.
Facing a 2-1 deficit in the bottom of the fifth inning of game two, sophomore Graham Wolff (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) led off with a single to set the scene for Hampp, who launched a two-run homer to left center field. The Tigers took a 3-2 lead on the first home run of the year in Carleton Davidson Stadium, a notorious pitcher's park with 340-foot foul poles and plenty of foul territory.
In the sixth inning, the Tigers added an exclamation point to the victory with a two-out, three-run rally, started by a triple into right field by senior Ray Noe (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome). Noe scored on a passed ball before Hampp pushed his third RBI across on a two-base rip into left center. Senior Jason Haunty (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) capped the effort with an RBI single.
Hampp finished the game 2-for-2 with three RBIs, two runs scored and a walk to lead the Tigers. Haunty was 2-for-4 and freshman David Moore (Tipp City, Ohio/Tippecanoe) provided the Tigers' second-inning run on a 1-for-2 day. Noe finished 2-for-4, helping the team to a combined 9-for-22 (.407) outing
Sophomore Zack Finke (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) held Oberlin to three runs in 5-1/3 innings on eight hits with four strikeouts against one walk in the start. Junior Matt Rupert (Evanston, Ill./Evanston) picked up the win in 1-2/3 innings, blanking the Yeomen on three hits with one strikeout.
Hampp finished the day with four RBIs after a 2-for-4, one RBI early game. Noe led the way in the loss on 3-for-4 hitting in his customary leadoff spot, and scored one run. Wolff scored two runs and went 2-for-4 at the plate, while sophomore Grant Goodwin (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) drove one run in on 2-for-3 hitting.
Sophomore Jonathan Long (Hilliard, Ohio/Darby) took the loss on the mound, going 3-2/3 innings in the start, giving up five runs on eight hits. Sophomore Kevin Tolle (Englewood, Ohio/Northmont) and senior Sam Clement (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young) were stellar in a combined 3-1/3 innings of relief, neither allowing a hit.
Oberlin plated one run in the first, second and third innings and two in the fourth before Tolle took over for 2-1/3, followed by one inning from Clement. The Tigers scored three in the first inning and one in the fifth.
On the day, the Tigers batted .380 (19-50) with a team slugging percentage of .520 on two doubles, a triple and a home run, led by the 1.333 slugging mark and .667 (4-for-6) day of Hampp.
The Tigers, postponed with Kenyon by rain on Saturday, makeup that doubleheader with the Lords on Tuesday, April 5, starting at 5 p.m. at Kenyon in Gambier, Ohio.
John Strawn '07