LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Wittenberg Tigers tuned up for the 2006 North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament with a 5-4 win over Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference regular season champion Transylvania on Wednesday.
The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but torrential rains in Kentucky early in the day made the Pioneers' field unplayable. To accommodate Transylvania's Senior Day festivities, the Tigers agreed to make the trip on Wednesday instead, but the two teams played just one game.
The Tigers improved to 21-16 overall heading into the NCAC Tournament on Friday. Wittenberg, the No. 4 seed after finishing in a three-way tie with Ohio Wesleyan and Allegheny for third place in the regular season standings, takes on No. 1 seed host team Denison at noon Friday. The double elimination tournament is scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
Freshman starting pitcher Rachael Hatcher tossed her 19th complete game of a terrific inaugural collegiate season, although it was not without some bumps. As usual, however, Hatcher limited the damage, holding the 25th ranked Pioneers to seven hits and three walks but just four earned runs. In so doing, she earned her 14th win of the season, the third-highest total in school history.
Her pitching kept the Tigers in the game until the offense broke through in the fifth inning for four big runs. Junior Erin Collinsworth had the big hit, a two-run double, which was followed by two-out RBI singles by sophomores Nicole Ottavi and Amy Myser.
Collinsworth collected three hits and two runs batted in during the game, while Ottavi finished 2-for-2. Sophomore Sarah Fetters did her job at the top of the lineup, collecting four hits in four at-bats and scoring two runs.