Tigers Close Marietta Invitational With Win Over Spalding

MARIETTA, OH - After dropping an extra-inning heartbreaker against one of the best teams in the Great Lakes Region two days earlier, Wittenberg Baseball returned to the scene of the crime and held off Spalding, 10-8, to close out the Marietta/BSN Sports Invitational.

The Tigers built a big lead in this one, and they ended up needing every one of those runs. Wittenberg scored single runs in the first and third innings and then added three more runs in the fifth. After Spalding closed to within a run at 5-4 with a three-run seventh inning, the Tigers appeared to put the game out of reach with two runs in the eighth and three in the ninth. But Spalding wasn't done, rallying for a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning before senior Charlie Schafer (Beavercreek, OH/Beavercreek) came on for the 10th time in the Tigers' first 12 games to collect his fourth save by getting the game's final out.

Junior Andrew Rust (Dublin, OH/Jerome) got his third win in as many starts with six innings of quality work on the mound, allowing one run on four hits and one walk.

Wittenberg's offense pounded out 10 hits, and the Tigers also benefited from five Spalding errors in the contest. Tommy Chilicki (Lewis Center, OH/Olentangy) continued his hot start to the season with three hits on the day, including a double, and Thatcher Dietz (Westerville, OH/Westerville South) went 2-for-4 with a home run, double, and three RBIs. Down the order, James MacAuley (Grosse Pointe Woods, MI/Grosse Pointe North) went 2-for-3 and drove in a pair of runs and Alex Nemunaitis (Perrysburg, OH/Ottawa Hills) made his lone hit on the day a big one as collected two RBIs with a triple.

Wittenberg improved to 8-4 on the season, while Spalding fell to 7-6. The Tigers are back in action on Tuesday, March 17, at Wilmington for a 3:30 p.m. first pitch.