MARIETTA, OH - On Friday, March 14, Wittenberg Baseball had a matchup with Case Western Reserve, which has been in and out of the national rankings throughout the 2025 season, on the first day of the Marietta Invitational. In a back and forth battle, the Tigers lost in the 11th inning, 12-11, to the Spartans on a walk-off homer.

Starting on the mound for the Tigers was senior Nate Floyd (Akron, OH/Copley), who pitched three innings, giving up five runs on seven hits while striking out three others. Other Tiger players to pitch were sophomore Tommy Anthony (Toronto, Ontario/Humberside Collegiate Institute), junior Mikey Eickhoff (Akron, OH/St.Vincent-St.Mary), freshman Wade Thewes (Parker, CO/Lutheran), and senior Charlie Schafer (Beavercreek, OH). Tiger relief pitching accounted for nine more hits allowed, while striking out four additional Spartan batters.

The Tigers did very well at the plate, driving in 11 runs in the game. Some bright spots in the lineup was sophomore Xander Rodriguez (Salinas, PR/Franklin County) and graduate student Parker Gryskevich (Brownsburg, IN/Brownsburg). Rodriguez went 4-for-6 at the plate with a double and an RBI, while also scoring three times himself. Gryskevich added on to his clutch hitting so far in the 2025 season with his third home run on the year, while driving in three RBIs.

The Tigers return to action on Sunday, March 16, to take on Spalding University once again in Marietta, Ohio. First pitch is set for 2:30 p.m.

Written By: Ben Glassman '28