Stephanie Zorn

The 2005 Wittenberg softball team is off to a slow start with nine losses in 10 games, but that doesn't mean the Tigers have failed to be competitive. Four of Wittenberg's losses have been by two runs or less, including two on walk-off hits.

Most recently, Wittenberg dropped both ends of a doubleheader at Thomas More on Thursday. In both games, the Tigers held leads into the late stages, only to have Thomas More rally for victories.

The problem isn't offense for Wittenberg, as five players are hitting .300 or better. The leaders are senior Ashley Lands (Dover, Ohio/Dover) with a robust .548 batting average (17 singles in 31 at-bats) and sophomore Stephanie Zorn (Grapevine, Texas/Colleyville) with a .500 batting average and team-bests of seven runs batted in and eight runs scored.

The Tigers' defense has been suspect and the pitching less than dominating, a tough combination for a young team. Wittenberg has eight more errors than its opponents currently and an earned run average almost double its opponents.

It doesn't get any easier for the Tigers, who lost to three nationally ranked opponents on their Spring Break trip to the Sunwest Tournament in Orange, Calif. Wittenberg next travels to perennial powerhouse and nationally ranked Muskingum for a doubleheader on Saturday.