FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Wittenberg softball team continued a romp through its spring break schedule with two more wins Friday, starting with a 6-1 victory over Northland and finishing in an 11-0 decision over Penn St.-Behrend.

The Tigers improved to 7-1 on the season, continuing one of the program's best-ever opening stretches.

The Tigers' spring break schedule will be one game shorter than expected, as the winter storm disrupting travel on the East Coast prevented Bridgewater State, located in Massachusetts, from departing for Florida in time for the scheduled 9 a.m. game tomorrow. As a result, Wittenberg will play just one game tomorrow before leaving for Springfield, an 11 a.m. meeting with Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

Against Northland, the Tigers and their opponents each posted one-run first innings, but that was all the scoring junior Rachel Ross (Westerville, Ohio/South) would allow from the circle. She went on to compile a three-hit gem with five strikeouts, while her teammates put up eight hits, producing a three-run second and two-run fifth. Ross improved her record to 3-1 with the win.

Freshman Loren Combs (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin) batted 2-for-4 out of the leadoff spot with three RBIs, all coming on a home run in the second. Junior Laura Rose (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins) also drove three runs in, but she did it with one in the first and a two-run homer in the fifth.

After Ross' polished performance in Game One, sophomore Julia Williams (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) tossed a one-hit shutout of Penn St.-Behrend in five innings to improve to 4-0. Behrend put the ball in play often, limiting Williams to two strikeouts, but the Tigers' capable defense committed no errors to back up the pitching.

Rose repeated with three more RBIs on a 2-for-3 game, driving in one in each of the first, second and third innings. The Tigers scored all their runs in those three frames, topped by a six-run second.

Junior Kaitie Harrison (Springfield, Ohio/Kenton Ridge) matched Rose with three runs driven in on 2-for-3 hitting, while freshman Kaela Hughes (Columbus, Ohio/Watterson) scored two on a second-inning double to finish 1-for-2.

Combs posted another RBI on 2-for-4 hitting to finish the day 4-for-8 with four RBIs, and freshman Shannon Lance (Loveland, Ohio/Kings) pushed one across on 2-for-4 batting and stole a pair of bases.

John Strawn '07