GREENCASTLE, Ind. – The Wittenberg Tigers got their 2013 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament off to a tremendous start with a 4-1 victory over Kenyon.
The win was Wittenberg's 11th in the last 16 games, and it advanced the Tigers into a winner's bracket match-up opposite Allegheny. The Gators shocked No. 1 seed DePauw in the day's first game, claiming an 8-0 victory in five innings.
Wittenberg, Allegheny, Denison and Kenyon finished in an unprecedented four-way tie for second place at 10-6, four games behind NCAC regular season champion DePauw, the host of the tournament. The Tigers, who now have a record of 21-11 overall, were awarded the No. 2 seed based on tiebreaker criteria, with Kenyon standing as the third seed and Allegheny the fourth.
As it has been all season, the key to victory for Wittenberg was pitching. Junior Rachel Ross (Westerville, Ohio/South) tossed her 16th complete game of the season en route to her 16th victory, putting her in a tie for third place in program history. Ross now has 35 career victories, which also ranks third in Wittenberg history.
Ross allowed three hits and one earned run, that coming in the top of the seventh inning. She also did a lot of the work offensively, going 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and a home run.
Freshman Aubrey Mendez (St. Louisville, Ohio/Utica) added two hits in two plate appearances and sophomore Ashlee Wright (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) drove in two runs with a home run.