SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – Six Wittenberg pitchers took turns holding the potent Heidelberg offense in check until the cavalry arrived, as the Tiger offense burst out for six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to secure a 10-5 non-conference victory.
The win was Wittenberg's ninth in its last 13 games, putting the Tigers at 21-14 overall with one contest remaining on against a foe outside of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). Wittenberg will travel to Ohio Northern for a 4 p.m. first pitch on Wednesday, May 1.
Heidelberg, which was Wittenberg's sixth different opponent from the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) during the 2013 season, dropped to 19-18 on the campaign. The Tigers will carry a 4-2 record against OAC rivals into the game at Ohio Northern.
Sophomore Stu Haley (Winnetka, Ill./New Trier) started the parade of pitchers for Wittenberg, tossing two scoreless innings. The last pitcher of the day, freshman Luke Black (St. Paris, Ohio/Graham), picked up his first collegiate victory by getting Wittenberg out of a jam in the top of the eighth inning and then holding the Princes off the scoreboard in the ninth.
Black has been tremendous out of the bullpen in his inaugural season in the Red & White. He leads the Tigers with a 1.23 earned run average – in a team-best 14 appearances, Black has allowed just three earned runs in 22 innings.
The pivotal eighth inning featured a two-run single by sophomore Brandon Reaman (Dayton, Ohio/Northmont) and a three-run double by senior Graham Wolff (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest). All five Wittenberg runs were charged as unearned thanks to an error on a ground ball off the bat of freshman Will Cousins (Medfield, Mass./Medfield).
Sophomore Zac Wilson (Eaton, Ohio/Eaton) went 2-for-3 from his lead-off spot, scoring three runs and stealing his 23rd base of the season without a miscue. Reaman added a 3-for-5 performance at the plate, scoring two runs and driving in three more, and Wolff continued to produce from the clean-up position, collecting three hits in five at-bats and driving in five runs.
