Bartow, FL - Wittenberg Softball traveled to Florida for Spring Break, and the Tigers' first day included two games to kick of their 2025 season. Game 1 pitted Wittenberg against the Rhode Island College Anchorwomen. In a low-scoring game, the Tigers came away with a 3-1 win that gave the Tigers a 1-0 record at the time, and with the loss Rhode Island College fell to 1-3.
The pitching staff for the Tigers that held the Anchorwomen to only one run included Samantha Zungri (Canal Winchester, OH / Canal Winchester) and Lilly James (Troy, OH / Troy). In five innings of work, Zungri did not allow a run on only two hits, while striking out three, while James ptiched two innings. She allowed one run on three hits and struck out two batters.
Both teams did not score a run in the first inning, but in the bottom of the second, junior Audrey Fyffe (Springfield, OH / Kenton Ridge) singled to right field to drive in the first run of the game. Then, in the bottom of the fifth inning, Meghan McCans (Arcanum, OH / Arcanum) singled to drive in the second run of the game and went on to steal second and third before Julia Burch (Dublin, OH / Jerome) hit a single to the left side to add another run for the Tigers. The Anchorwomen's lone run came in the top of the sixth on a double to center field.
Game One Team Leaders
- Burch led the team in hits with two and two other players had one apiece.
- McCans and Rebekah Giel (Amelia, OH / West Clermont) each stole two bases and Fyffe stole one.
- Hanna Ecker (Heath, OH / Heath) and Gada Bryant (Westville, IL / Bismark Henning) each drew a walk for the Tigers.
Game One Team Comparison
- The Tigers led in stolen bases with five to the Anchorwomen's none.
- Wittenberg also only comitted one error in comparison to Rhode Island Callege's two.
Game Two
In the second game of the day, Wittenberg took on Belhaven, which is currently ranked 14th in the nation. Despite their best efforts, the Tigers came up short, ultimately taking the loss by a score of 10-8. With the loss, the Tiger's record dropped to 1-1, while the Blazers moved to 10-5.
Wittenberg came out in the first inning on fire, scoring two runs. The first one was scored by McCans on an error, and Kayla Drake (Wilmington, OH / Clinton Massie) drove across a run as she grounded into a double play. After scoring those two runs, the Tigers held Belhaven scoreless in the bottom of the inning.
After holding Wittenberg scoreless in the top of the second, The Blazers responded with six runs in the bottom of the inning. After a couple of walks to start the inning, two runs scored on errors, while singles drove in the other two and the inning was capped off by a two-run homer.
Each team scored a run in the third, with McCans scoring again on a passed ball and the Blazers capitalized on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning. In the fourth and fifth innings, Belhaven scored one run in each of them to increase their lead to six.
To start the sixth inning, Giel recorded an RBI on a ground out and the Blazers matched the run in the bottom of the sixth by scoring on a single into the outfield.
In the seventh inning, the Tigers started to put more runs on the board and make a comeback bid. McCans started off the scoring again, crossing the plate after an error and with a runner on third, Fyffe grounded out, but scored the run. Then, down by four, Kyleigh Bartlett (Beavercreek, OH / Beavercreek) cut the lead to two with a two-out double to center field that scored Giel and Drake. Unfortunately, Belhaven was able to record one last out to take the 10-8 win.
Game Two Team Leaders
- McCans led the team with three runs and Burch finished with two for the team.
- McCans also led the team with three hits, while Burch, Giel and Drake each added two.
- Bartlett led the team with two RBIs while Giel and Fyffe each had one.
Game Two Team Comparison
- Wittenberg recorded three extra base hits to Belhaven's one.
- The Tigers also recorded 12 hits in comparison to the Blazer's seven.
- Each team turned three double plays and each team's pitching staff gave up five earned runs.
The Tigers will be back in action on Monday, March 10th, where they will play another two games as part of The Spring Games. Their first game will be against Mount Union at 9:00 AM and then will take on Ohio Northern at 11:15 AM.