|
DELAWARE, Ohio — The Wittenberg Tigers held late leads in both North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) games against Ohio Wesleyan, but they were unable to close the deal either time, losing 7-6 and 6-5 in eight innings.
That's the bad news for the Tigers, who are now 0-6 against the top three teams in the NCAC standings (Denison, Hiram and Ohio Wesleyan). The good news is that Wittenberg remains in control of its own destiny, needing a sweep against last-place Oberlin on Senior Recognition Day in Springfield on Saturday to join the aforementioned trio in next week's NCAC Tournament.
This is a doubleheader that the Tigers will need to erase from their collective memory bank quickly. In the opener, Wittenberg held a 6-5 lead going into the bottom of the seventh inning, an astounding feat considering the way the game started. The Tigers committed a whopping four errors in the first inning, allowing the Battling Bishops to score four times on just two hits.
But Wittenberg battled back from the 5-0 deficit, scoring two runs in the third and three in the fifth to tie the game before freshman pinch-runner Beth Wilson (Troy, Ohio/Troy) scored on a passed ball with two outs in the top of the seventh inning to give the Tigers their first lead. That set the stage for OWU's two-run, game-winning rally against hard-luck Tiger starter Anna Kvartunas (Springfield, Va./Paul VI Catholic), a junior right-hander who took the pitching loss.
In the nightcap, the Tigers were in control after scoring the game's first four runs, but OWU responded with four in the sixth to send it to extra innings. In the eighth, the Tigers scored a run on an RBI single from freshman Shelby Ross (Springfield, Ohio/Kenton Ridge) but stranded two others in the top half, but the Battling Bishops were clutch again, loading the bases with one out on three straight infield hits. A fielder's choice plated the tying run, and then another infield single brought the game-winner home.
Freshman Rachel Ross (Westerville, Ohio/South) was the hard-luck loser in the pitcher's circle as she scattered 11 hits and two walks but allowed just two earned runs. The Tigers followed their five errors in the opener with four more in the second game.
Freshman Laura Rose (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins) collected three hits, scored two runs and drove in two more in the second game, while Shelby Ross and junior Katelyn Davis (Bethesda, Ohio/Union Local) added two base hits apiece. In the opener, the offense was spearheaded by junior Tori Amicon (Galloway, Ohio/Hilliard Darby) and her two hits and two RBIs and senior Jessi Allen (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley), who went 4-for-4 with two runs scored.