Softball Splits Games on Day Three of Spring Break Trip

Winter Haven, FL - Wittenberg Softball continued competition at The Spring Games after a one-day break from action. The Tigers took on the Suffolk Rams in their first game, picking up a 9-1 win in run-rule-shortened five-inning game as the Tigers extended their win streak to three to improve their record to 4-1. The Rams saw their record fall to 4-5.

Wittenberg's pitching staff once again led the way, only allowing one run in the game. Julie Hall (Powell, OH / Bishop Watterson) got the win, throwing three innings and only only allowing one run on three hits and two walks while striking out three of the 15 batters she faced. Lilly Shaw (Washington Courthouse, OH / Washington) entered in relief and allowed only one hit in her two innings of work.

At the plate, Wittenberg couldn't be stopped. In the first inning, Kirsten Wright (Springfield, OH / Kenton Ridge) drove home Meghan McCans (Arcanum, OH / Arcanum) on a sacrifice fly. In the second, the Rams hit a solo home run to tie the game, but their scoring would stop there. In the bottom of the second inning, Audrey Fyffe (Springfield, OH / Kenton Ridge) singled to drive in a run to put the Tigers ahead.

The Tigers really roared to life in the third inning, plating seven runs. Wright scored McCans on another sac fly, then Diana Quevedo (La Quinta, CA / La Quinta) drove in a run on a single to center field. Rebekah Giel (Amelia, OH / West Clermont) singled in a run before Fyffe drove in a run on another sac fly. To end the scoring in the third inning, Samantha Zungri (Canal Winchester, OH / Canal Winchester) reached on a throwing error that Giel also scored on, and Gada Bryant (Westville, IL / Bismark Henning) drove in Zungri for the sixth run of the inning. To close out the scoring for both teams, McCans singled to drive in the last run of the game to  put the Tigers up by eight.

Game One Team Leaders

• McCans led the team with three hits ad Quevedo notched two of her own.
• McCans and Quevedo also paced the team in runs with two each.
• Fyffe and and Wright also each knocked in two runs each to take the team lead in RBIs.

Game One Team Comparison

• Wittenberg finished the game with eight hits compared to four for the Rams.
• Suffolk committed five errors to the one that was committed by Wittenberg.
• The Tigers added another five stolen bases to the Rams' two.  

Game Two

In the second game of the day, the Tigers took on the Firebirds of Carthage College. Wittenberg was looking to extend their win streak to four games, but the Tigers fell in a tightly contested game by a score of 2-1. With the loss, the Tigers move to 4-2 on the season, while the Firebirds' win improved their record to 6-2.

The pitching was once again stellar for the Tigers as Zungri threw four and a third innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and striking out one. Lilly James (Troy, OH / Troy) came in to relieve Zungri and shut down Carthage, allowing only two hits, no runs and struck out two. Unfortunately for the Tigers, they pitching staff's solid performance was only back up by one run as the Tigers had a tough time getting the bats going.

Once again, the Tigers were the first to score in the game as Giel singled to right field to bring Hanna Ecker (Heath, OH / Heath) across the plate in the top of the fourth. The Firebirds answered in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single and then singled home another run in the fifth to score the last run of the game.

Game Two Team Leaders

• Giel led the team in hits with two as four other players each logged one.
• The lone RBI also came from Giel, as Ecker was the only player who scored a run for the Tigers.
• McCans was the lone Tiger with an extra base knock, as she added a double, and both Ecker and Quevedo were able to draw walks.

Game Two Team Comparison

• Carthage led Wittenberg in every stat except the Tigers had one extra base hit to the Firebirds' none and the Wittenberg pitching staff walked one batter compared to two for Carthage.

The Tigers return to action on Thursday, March 13, where they look to bounce back against St. Scholastica at 12:30 PM and will follow that game up with another game against Beloit at 2:45 PM, continuing their Spring Break trip in Florida.