ORANGE, Calf. - The 2005 edition of the Wittenberg softball team opened the season with a solid 8-0 win over Lake Erie College in the Sunwest Tournament at Chapman University in Orange, Calif.

The keys to the 2005 season will be the pitching of senior Norah Gillam and a re-built offense featuring several underclassmen in prominent roles. All systems were go in the season opener as Gillam tossed a one-hit complete-game shutout and the Tigers banged out eight hits, leading to three runs scored for freshman Sarah Fetters, who played centerfield and batted lead-off.

Gillam, who led Wittenberg with a 2.00 earned run average in 2004 and has led the Tigers in pitching wins each of the last two years, walked just one batter and struck out six. She had 13 complete games a year ago.

Offensively, Gillam also got off to a good start as she collected two hits, scored a run and drove another in. Fetters scored three runs and sophomore Grace Wigton knocked in a pair.