SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - With the winds swirling and the snow flurries flying, the Wittenberg Tigers took the plunge into North Coast Athletic Conference action and came away with a key split against preseason favorite Denison. Wittenberg rallied for a 5-3 win in the opener before the Big Red came up with a 5-1 victory in the nightcap.
The split left Wittenberg with a 16-8 overall record, including a mark of 1-1 in the NCAC. The loss in the second game, however, snapped an eight-game win streak. Denison is now 12-9 overall and 1-1 in the NCAC.
The Big Red led 2-0 before the Tigers put together a three-run rally in the bottom of the fifth inning. The key hit in that inning was a two-run triple from freshman Cameron Catalfu (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland). Two more runs were pushed across in the sixth as junior Nicole Ottavi (Columbus, Ohio/Whetstone) came up with a clutch RBI double.
The late-game offense made a winner out of sophomore Rachael Hatcher (West Carrollton, Ohio/West Carrollton) for a 10th time this season. She allowed nine hits, but no walks, a key as the Tigers hung on despite four hits in a one-run Denison seventh inning. The key defensive play was turned in by junior Sarah Fetters (Maumee, Ohio/Maumee), who faked a throw home after an RBI double and then quickly turned around to tag the Big Red baserunner as she strayed off the bag.
Game 2 was a different story as the Tigers were unable to mount much offense, managing one run on six hits. Senior Stephanie Zorn (Grapevine, Texas/Colleyville) had an RBI double, and freshman Brooke Boswell (Hamilton, Ohio/Fairfield) pitched well in relief, but it wasn't enough.