Tigers Open 2012 With Doubleheader Sweep Of Penn St.-Altoona

AUBURNDALE, Fla. — The 2012 Wittenberg baseball season is off to an auspicious start following a doubleheader sweep of Penn St.-Altoona in the Tigers' first day of spring break competition at the Russ Matt Invitational in Florida. 

The Tigers used a late-innings rally to break a tie and take Game 1 by a 5-3 margin, and the offensive momentum spilled over into Game 2 where Wittenberg picked up a 15-5 victory.

In the opener, the Tiger lineup gave senior starting pitcher Matt Rupert (Evanston, Ill./Evanston) an early advantage with a two-run first inning thanks to RBI singles by junior Graham Wolff (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest) and sophomore Tyler Grau (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller).

Altoona answered with a run in the top of the second, but Wittenberg matched them in the third without a base hit. An error and a wild pitch allowed senior Matt Hampp (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) to reach base and move to third before junior Grant Goodwin (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) brought him across the plate on an RBI groundout.

Altoona touched Rupert for two runs in the top of the fifth to tie the game at three, but Wittenberg put up a run courtesy the Altoona defense in the fifth, and sophomore Matt Powell (Troy, Ohio/Troy) led off the sixth with a triple and later scored for the final 5-3 margin.

Rupert went the distance for the win, scattering six hits in seven innings and tallying seven strikeouts against just two walks. Wolff finished the game 2-for-4 with an RBI to pace the lineup, while Goodwin and Grau each plated a run and six others finished with a basehit.

Game 2 was decided quickly after the Tigers put up three runs in the opening frame and an eight-spot in the third inning. They tacked on another three runs in the fifth and added one in the seventh.

Senior Andy Sharek (Sewickley, Pa./Sewickley Academy) held Altoona to five runs on six hits over five innings to earn the victory on the mound. Senior Ted Skalla (Winnetka, Ill./New Trier) and senior Brad Prewitt (Westerville, Ohio/South) each provided a scoreless inning of relief, Skalla on two hits in the sixth and Prewitt with a 1-2-3 seventh.

Hampp was a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate in Game 2, pushing across four runs and scoring each time he reached to lead an explosive offense. Freshman Zac Wilson (Eaton, Ohio/Eaton) was 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Goodwin, Wolff, and sophomore David Moore (Tipp City, Ohio/Tippecanoe) each hit safely twice.

The Tigers totalled 18 hits in the game against Altoona's eight, while both teams committed three errors in the field.

Hampp finished Day 1 of the 2012 season 6-of-8 (.750) with a 1.250 slugging percentage and .750 on-base percentage. He hit two doubles and a triple while totalling four RBIs. Wolff is 4-for-9 (.444) on the day-old campaign, while Goodwin went 3-for-6 with two RBIs.

Wittenberg continues Spring Break action tomorrow, March 5, with a doubleheader versus Pitt.-Greensburg at 3 p.m.