Clermont, FL – The Wittenberg University softball team split day two of Spring Break action, falling to the Bethany Bison in game one on the day 7-6, before moving on to take down the Westminster College Titans 6-4 in the final game of the day. Wittenberg tallied 18 hits on the afternoon, with nine coming in game one against Bethany, the Tigers tallied nine in game two against Westminster. Briana Gibson slapped together four hits in eight at-bats, knocking in three runs and crossing three times on the day for the Red and White.
Bethany Game Breakdown
The Tigers put the first run on the board in the top of the first inning, as Clara Andersen smacked a single to center field, bringing around Gibson for the first Tiger run. Bethany put their first run on the board in the bottom of the third inning before the Tigers exploded for a four-run fourth inning. with runners on second and third, Niki Hawkins put down the but and Brooke Dill beat the throw to the plate. Elaina Adams kept the momentum rolling, reaching on the fielder's choices with the bases loaded, bringing home Victoria Toetz for the third Tiger run of the game. Gibson capped off the Wittenberg rally with an RBI shot to right field, bringing home two Tiger runs, pushing the Wittenberg lead out to 5-1. Bethany would add another run in the fourth inning to cut the Wittenberg lead to 5-2. A single by Hawkins in the top of the fifth brought around Megan Niswonger for the sixth Wittenberg run of the game. Bethany would put together a rally in the fifth and sixth inning, off of some Wittenberg miscues on defense taking the lead 7-6 in the sixth. Mary Britton got the start for the Red and White, tossing five innings, allowing seven hits and striking out three.
Westminster Game Breakdown
It was a back and forth battle through the early going, as the Tigers and Titans traded a run each in the first inning. A double down the right-field line by Toetz brought home Gibson for the first Wittenberg run of the game to knot things up at 1-1. Wittenberg took the lead in the bottom of the second off the bunt single by Adams, bringing home Gibson for the second Tiger score. Westminster regained the lead in the top of the fifth inning, scoring three in the top half of the inning. Wittenberg would take advantage of Westminster errors in the bottom of the fifth, as Andersen reached first on the error and Elise Freeland scampered home to cut the Titan lead to 4-3. Niswonger forced another Westminster error in the inning with a hard-hit ball to the left side, scoring two runs, as Andersen and Gibson made their way home. With Katelyn Niswonger on the mound, the Tigers escaped a one-out jam, with Westminster runners on first and third, Wittenberg got the final two outs with back-to-back groundouts. The Tigers would add to their lead in the sixth inning, as Gibson added one more RBI single to her credit, bringing around Hannah Weymouth, putting the Tigers ahead 6-4. Katelyn Niswonger tossed a complete game, fanning two, with 10 hits allowed.
From The Bench
"Today was an example of how much potential this team has with all three areas of the game; offense, defense and pitching. Briana Gibson, Victoria Toetz and Clara Andersen led our offense all day and Elaina Adams made some outstanding plays in right field to fuel Katelyn in the circle. The more this team realizes we don't need one person to lead the way and continues to work together, the more this team will keep moving in the right direction," said Head Coach Shannon Schaub.