Norah Gillam

The 2005 Wittenberg softball team is hanging in there, but it is now crunch time, starting with todays doubleheader at Kenyon College. The Tigers must sweep their three remaining North Coast Athletic Conference doubleheaders to qualify for the four-team tournament at seasons end, or else they will use the last few weeks of the season to begin building toward the 2006 season.

Since the last report on April 5, the Tigers have had their ups and downs, including three doubleheader splits against NCAC foes before losing a pair to conference-leading Wooster on Saturday. In two of the three splits, senior Norah Gillam (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield) made the difference, willing the Tigers to victories in the getaway games against Denison and Allegheny with outstanding pitching performances.

Gillam has been the Tigers most consistent all-around performer in 2005. She leads the team with a 3.33 earned run average, a number inflated by three rough outings out of 13 starts overall, and a 5-8 pitching record. Against Allegheny, she tossed a two-hit gem in a 9-0 five-inning victory on April 9, and against Denison, she limited the potent Big Red to three hits and one earned run on April 12. With the bat, Gillam has rebounded from her struggles of a year ago to post a .344 batting average, third-best on the team. She leads the Tigers with five doubles and ranks third with nine runs batted in.

The Tigers offensive catalyst has frequently been sophomore Stephanie Zorn (Grapevine, Texas/Colleyville), who leads the team with a .366 batting average and 12 RBI. She also has the teams lone home run, one triple, four doubles and a team-best 18 runs scored.

Also of note has been the play of versatile sophomore Grace Wigton (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Christian), who has played several different positions. As a pitcher, Wigton has made 10 appearances and has posted a 4.39 ERA. Offensively, she has a respectable .299 batting average with seven RBI and six runs scored while starting 25 of the Tigers 28 games in 2005. In addition, on a team with defensive issues, Wigton has committed just four errors while recording a team-best 113 putouts and 16 assists. Her .970 fielding percentage is topped only Gillams .986 among the teams regular starters.