WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — The Wittenberg baseball team bounced back from its first loss of the 2012 season with a sweep of Roger Williams by scores of 5-3 and 10-3.

The wins moved Wittenberg to 7-1 on the young season, while the games marked the start of the season for Roger Williams.

In the opener, a two-run rally in the fifth inning made a winner out of senior Matt Rupert (Evanston, Ill./Evanston), who tossed a complete game. He allowed just five hits and no walks in seven innings, yielding three earned runs while striking out a career-best eight batters.

Offensively, the Tigers scored the first three runs of the game, with junior Graham Wolff (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest) driving in two in the first two innings. But Roger Williams rallied to tie the game before Wittenberg loaded the bases in the fifth. Sophomore Brandon Jordan (Ithaca, NY/Ithaca) followed with a sacrifice fly that actually netted two runs as senior Matt Hampp (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) scored from second base on an error.

In the nightcap, Roger Williams scored first, but the Tigers followed with 10 unanswered runs in the second, third and fourth innings to break the game open. That made a winner out of senior starter Andy Sharek (Sewickley, Pa./Sewickley Academy), who allowed two earned runs on six hits in four innings. He was followed to the mound by senior relievers Touby Bender (Mansfield, Ohio/Madison) and Brad Prewitt (Westerville, Ohio/South), who combined to allow just two baserunners and one unearned run in three innings.

Four Tigers finished with two hits in the game, including Wolff, Hampp, junior Grant Goodwin (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) and junior Zach Finke (Maineville, Ohio/St. Xavier). Hampp drove in three runs, while Finke and sophomore David Moore (Tipp City, Ohio/Tippecanoe) knocked in two runs apiece.