SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – With their season on the line, the Wittenberg Tigers turned to a senior righthander to bail them out. Only this time, it wasn't the guy who has been making all the headlines.
Wittenberg's pitching depth proved pivotal as the Tigers bounced back behind Kevin Tolle (Englewood, Ohio/Northmont) for a split with Oberlin on Day 1 of a two-day, three-game North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Crossover Weekend series. Seeded No. 2 after finishing in a three-way tie for second place in the NCAC West Division, Wittenberg forced a decisive third game against Oberlin, the third-place finisher in the East Division.
The two teams will square off with an NCAC Tournament berth on the line at noon Sunday after Oberlin won the opener 10-6 and Wittenberg squared the series with a 12-2 decision.
Tolle picked his team up when it needed a boost the most, tossing eight innings of seven-hit baseball and allowing just two earned runs. He struck out six Oberlin hitters and walked just one as he improved to 5-3 on the season as the Tigers moved to 23-15 overall and 9-9 in the conference.
Wittenberg scored four runs in the first inning, two runs in the third and one in the fourth before effectively ending the game with a five-spot in the eighth. After Tolle set Oberlin down without a run in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Tigers were awarded the win via run rule.
While Tolle was holding the Yeomen in check, Wittenberg's offense broke out for 12 runs on 14 hits. Senior Graham Wolff (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest) led the way with a 3-for-5 showing at the plate, including a pair of doubles. He scored three runs and drove in three others.
Junior David Moore (Tipp City, Ohio/Tippecanoe) made the most of his lone base hit, sending his first home run of the season over the fence. He scored two runs and drove in three more in the game, while sophomore Brandon Reaman (Dayton, Ohio/Northmont) continued his torrid offensive pace with two hits in three at-bats, including a home run.
The nightcap offered a stark contrast to the opener, when Oberlin hung a loss on Tiger senior starter Zach Finke (Maineville, Ohio/St. Xavier). The Yeomen knocked Finke, who came into the game with a 1.72 earned run average, out of the game in the fifth inning after scoring seven runs, including five earned, on nine hits and three walks.
In all, Oberlin scored 10 runs off four Tigers pitchers, with only senior Jonathan Long (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville) making it through his appearance without yielding a run. At the plate, Wittenberg countered with six runs, all in the seventh and eighth innings, on 11 total hits.
Senior Grant Goodwin (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) went 2-for-3 in the opener and finished with four hits on the day, while junior Brandon Jordan (Ithaca, NY/Ithaca) went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Sophomore Aaron Patrick (Eldorado, Ohio/Tri-County North) also contributed, pinch-hitting in the eighth inning and driving in a pair with a single.
