WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — The Wittenberg baseball team put the finishing touches on its best start since 1995 with a sweep of Clark University on the final day of the 2012 Spring Break trip.
The wins moved Wittenberg to 9-1 on the season as the Tigers recorded their fourth sweep in eight days in Winter Haven, Fla. It is the Tigers' best start since 1995, when Wittenberg opened 10-0 en route to a 28-13 overall record.
While Wittenberg's offense has been red-hot through the first week of the 2012 season, it was a pair of pitchers who took center stage on the final day of the Spring Break trip. In the opener, junior Zach Finke (Maineville, Ohio/St. Xavier) was outstanding, going eight innings to pick up the win. He allowed just three hits and struck out 10 Clark batters in a 3-0 extra-inning victory.
In the nightcap, junior Kevin Tolle (Englewood, Ohio/Northmont) wasn't quite as dominant, but he picked up the win nonetheless. He scattered four hits and three walks over six innings, allowing just one earned run while striking out eight Clark batters.
The offense was handcuffed in the opener as well before a Clark error started the winning rally in the eighth inning. That was followed by RBI hits from freshman Brandon Reaman (Dayton, Ohio/Northmont) and junior Graham Wolff (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest).
The offense broke out in the second game, scoring runs in five of the first six innings. Reaman finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs, while senior Matt Hampp (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) and junior Grant Goodwin (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) each contributed two base hits to the attack. Five different players drove in at least one run, and eight different players scored at least one run in the game.