Stephanie Zorn

The Wittenberg softball team posted mixed results during the Spring Break trip to Fort Myers, Fla., finishing with a mark of 5-5 after a 3-0 start. The Tigers were postponed twice last week and will open the "northern" portion of their schedule today against perennial national powerhouse Muskingum.

The difference in the wins and losses was pitching. In Wittenberg's five Spring Break victories, the Tigers allowed just nine runs. In their five losses, the Tiger pitching staff was pounded for 38 runs.

While the pitching highlights were relatively few, junior Norah Gillam (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield) did pick up a pair of victories in the Florida sun. A two-time All-North Coast Athletic Conference selection, Gillam posted a respectable earned run average of 2.66 in three starts.

Offensively, the Tigers had a number of athletes who shined. Seven players who appeared in at least seven of the 10 games finished with batting averages above .300. Junior Ashley Lands (Dover, Ohio/Dover) batted .500 in 16 at-bats, freshman shortstop Stephanie Zorn (Grapevine, Texas/Colleyville) collected 13 hits and 15 total bases to rank among the team and conference leaders with a .419 batting average, sophomore Kelly Sasavicz (Massillon, Ohio/Massillon) posted a .406 batting average with 13 hits and a team-best eight RBI and senior Carmen Montgomery (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) led the team with 14 hits, including two triples.

The Tigers, the defending NCAC Tournament champion, is the preseason favorite in the conference poll. Balloting was done by the conference's coaches.