SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – The Wittenberg baseball team came up with what could be a season-saving rally to force a doubleheader split with North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) West Division rival Ohio Wesleyan.
The Battling Bishops scored six unearned runs in a 6-2 win in the opener, but senior Grant Goodwin (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) played the role of hero in the nightcap, driving in two runs with a single in the bottom of the ninth to give the Tigers a 7-6 win. When the dust had settled, Wittenberg was left with records of 16-11 overall and 4-6 in the NCAC West, while Ohio Wesleyan checks in with marks of 13-12 overall and 4-6 in the division.
All five teams in the NCAC West remain alive for spots in the upcoming NCAC Tournament. Wittenberg and Ohio Wesleyan will line up against one another again Sunday at Carleton Davidson Stadium, and the Tigers will round out the league schedule at home against preseason favorite DePauw next weekend.
Denison, which swept Wittenberg last weekend, stands atop the standings at 9-5, while DePauw has a 7-5 record. Wittenberg, Ohio Wesleyan and Wabash all stand at 4-6 with six games remaining.
In Game 1, senior starter Kevin Tolle (Englewood, Ohio/Northmont) was undone by a disastrous fourth inning. He allowed five unearned runs as Ohio Wesleyan took advantage of two errors, a walk, a hit batsman and three hits – including a bunt that was popped up and then misplayed. The Battling Bishops added an unearned insurance run in the sixth inning.
Wittenberg collected seven hits over the final three innings, but the Tigers stranded nine baserunners, including three in the seventh inning. Only junior Tyler Hutchinson (Lebanon, Ohio/Cincinnati Moeller) managed to break through, delivering a two-run homer in the sixth inning.
Game 2 didn't start out well for Wittenberg either, as Ohio Wesleyan jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning. But Wittenberg battled back for two runs in the third inning and single tallies in the sixth and eighth frames.
Still, the Tigers trailed 6-4 in the bottom of the seventh. That's when Wittenberg rallied to keep its postseason hopes alive, starting with an RBI groundout by senior Graham Wolff (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest). Three batters later, Goodwin came up with the clutch two-out knock, singling to left center to chase home junior David Moore (Tipp City, Ohio/Tippecanoe) and Wolff.
Sophomore Brandon Reaman (Dayton, Ohio/Northmont) contributed five hits in the two games, and Goodwin drove in three runs in the nightcap. Sophomore Zac Wilson (Eaton, Ohio/Eaton) added two runs scored in Game 2 and two stolen bases in the doubleheader overall.
On the mound in the nightcap, the Tigers were picked up by freshman relievers Luke Black (St. Paris, Ohio/Graham) and Drew Schaller (Willoughby, Ohio/South). Black worked 3.1 scoreless innings in relief of sophomore starter Frank Sullivan (Milford, Ohio/Milford) before giving way to Schaller. He allowed one unearned run in two innings to pick up his second victory of the campaign.
