GREENCASTLE, Ind. - The Wittenberg Tigers snapped a three-game losing streak in the best way possible, sweeping a doubleheader from host DePauw to kick off the 2016 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) schedule.
The wins kicked off a four-game series against DePauw and the annual 16-game NCAC West Division slate. The Tigers improved to 6-8 overall, while DePauw fell to 9-9.
Game 1 provided plenty of drama, as the visiting Tigers trailed 3-1 heading into the sixth inning. That's when junior Josh Kaplan (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) came up with an RBI single and junior Dalton Boucher (Granville, Ohio/Granville) followed with a sacrifice fly that tied the game.
After junior Jonathon Forster (Royal Oak, Mich./Brother Rice) worked his way out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the seventh inning, Wittenberg pushed the winning run across in the top of the ninth as Boucher hit a home run to right field.
Forster worked a second consecutive scoreless inning in the bottom of the ninth to secure the pitching victory. His stellar relief work came on the heels of a strong start by senior Luke Black (St. Paris, Ohio/Graham), who allowed three earned runs on four hits and four walks in 6.2 innings.
The nightcap provided one of the more unusual results in Wittenberg history as the two sets of Tigers battled to a 4-4 draw through the regularly scheduled seven innings. Both teams pushed one run across in the eighth, but then the visitors broke the game open with a whopping 12 runs in the top of the ninth.
While offense gained the headlines, it was an outstanding pitching performance that set the stage for the stunning rally. Senior Jordan Hitt (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) scattered nine hits and three walks in a complete-game performance. He improved to 3-0 on the season.
Offensively, the Tigers pounded out 18 hits, while also taking advantage of five DePauw errors and seven walks issued for the opposing pitching staff. Sophomore Timmy Bates (Westerville, Ohio/South) went 5-for-6 with three runs scored and four runs batted in, freshman Matt Baker (Tuscon, Ariz./Ironwood Ridge) collected three hits from his leadoff spot, freshman Marshall Eippert (Milford, Ohio/Cincinnati Moeller) added three hits and drive in a pair, and Kaplan scored three runs after drawing a trio of walks.
Written By: Ryan Maurer