WILMINGTON, Ohio – More than a month after it was originally scheduled, the Wittenberg softball team completed a doubleheader against the Wilmington Quakers and came away with a split.
The Tigers moved to 18-9 overall after a 4-3 loss in the opener and a 5-3 win in the second game. The games were postponed from March 17 due to field conditions.
The highlight of the day, aside from a well-earned win, was provided by junior Laura Rose (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins). In the victory, Rose not only went 2-3 with two RBIs and two runs, she stole four bases, tying a North Coast Athletic Conference single-game record.
Now a perfect 27-for-27 on the season in stolen bases, Rose has tied the school season record, previously set by Jen Tate in 1997. She is also within four of the NCAC record of 31, set by Allegheny's Abby Bodenlos in 2007.
Rose's career total now stands at 50, just six short of the school's career record, also by Tate between 1994 and 1997, and seven off the NCAC mark of 57 established by Bodenlos from 2005 to 2007.
Rose is far from the only Tiger stealing bases this season. Freshman Loren Combs (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin) has stolen 20 bases in 21 attempts and freshman Shannon Lance (Loveland, Ohio/Kings) is 13-of-15 on the season. As a team, the Tigers now boast 86 steals in 91 attempts, an outstanding .945 success rate, and also the new program record.
Elsewhere in the record books, junior Rachel Ross (Westerville, Ohio/South) picked up the pitching victory in game two and moved into a third-place tie for career victories with 32.
Ross' took the win after relieving freshman Kaela Hughes (Columbus, Ohio/Watterson), who scattered four hits through four innings of work, allowing two runs with two strikeouts. Ross finished the last three frames and held the Quakers to one run on five hits.
The lineup posted seven hits in the victory, led by Rose's two-hit performance and a 2-2 outing with a double for freshman Aubrey Mendez (St. Louisville, Ohio/Utica). Junior Kaitie Harrison (Springfield, Ohio/Kenton Ridge) went 1-2 with an RBI and a run. The Tigers scored a single run in five different innings to stay ahead of Wilmington.
Mendez provided two of the Tigers three runs in the game one loss on 1-2 hitting, and Combs drove in the other run to finish 1-3.
In the circle, freshman Lacey Eigel (Pickerington, Ohio/North) provided steady relief by limiting Wilmington to three hits and one unearned run in three innings. Eigel took over for sophomore Julia Williams (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South), who was touched for three runs on five hits in her three-inning start.
The Tigers now prepare for their final NCAC doubleheader on Wednesday, April 24, a road trip to Oberlin with a 3:30 p.m. start time. Wittenberg concludes the regular season at home on Saturday, April 27, against Case Western Reserve, beginning at 1 p.m. at Betty Doughman Dillahunt Field.
John Strawn '07