AUBURNDALE, Fla. – Wittenberg baseball has kicked off several seasons with strong performances during a Spring Break week in Florida. Few have featured the kind of dominant pitching that continues to mark the 2013 start that continued Friday with a doubleheader sweep of Union.
Senior Zach Finke (Maineville, Ohio/St. Xavier) and freshman Jordan Hitt (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) both improved to 2-0 on the young season with complete-game pitching performances as the Tigers upended Union by scores of 2-0 and 4-3. Wittenberg heads into its Spring Break finale against Aurora on Saturday at the RussMatt Invitational with a sparkling 5-1 record after allowing just 20 runs in its first six games.
The opener against Union was a classic pitcher's duel, as the two starting pitchers allowed just 10 hits and neither walked a batter. Finke has tossed back-to-back shutouts to start the 2013 campaign after he scattered just four hits while striking out a pair. He faced 25 batters in the game as his defense came up big behind him, committing one error but backing Finke with two double plays.
The Tiger offense did all of its damage in the third inning as junior Brandon Jordan (Ithaca, NY/Ithaca) led off with a single to left and stole second base. After an infield single by sophomore Zac Wilson (Eaton, Ohio/Eaton), sophomore Brandon Reaman (Dayton, Ohio/Northmont) drove Jordan in with a fielder's choice, and he came around to score the game's second run on a double from senior Graham Wolff (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest).
In the nightcap, the Tigers started the scoring in the first inning as Wilson led off the game with a single and stole two bases before Reaman brought him home with a sacrifice fly. Wilson has now stolen six bases in the first six games without getting caught.
After Union took a 3-1 lead in the fourth inning, the Tigers bounced right back in the top of the fifth, matching the Dutchmen's run total to re-take a 4-3 lead. Freshman Michael Beedy (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) started the rally with a double, and Wilson drove him in with a single. Wilson scored on an error before Reaman scored the go-ahead run on a single by senior Grant Goodwin (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson).
The rally made a winner out of Hitt, who allowed five hits and four walks in going the distance.
