BARTOW, FL - Wittenberg Softball put the finishing touches on a very productive Spring Break trip with a pair of wins on their final day of competition. The Tigers improved to 8-2 with wins over Carroll (Wisconsin), 8-4, and Alfred, 9-1, heading home with plenty of momentum thanks to a four-game winning streak.
Against Carroll, the Tigers piled on the runs early, scoring three in the first, four in the second, and an insurance run in the third. Carroll finally responded with three runs in the third and another in the fifth.
Julia Burch (Dublin, OH / Dublin Jerome) led the way offensively, collecting three hits in as many plate appearances while driving in a pair and scoring two more. She paired nicely at the top of the lineup with leadoff hitter Meghan McCans (Arcanum, OH / Arcanum), who went 2-for-3 and scored twice in the game. McCans and Burch were among four Tigers to steal bases in the game as well.
Also joining the hit parade for the Tigers were Rebekah Giel (Amelia, OH / West Clermont), who went 2-for-3 with a run, a stolen base, and an RBI, and Hanna Ecker (Heath, OH / Heath), who did her job twice with runners in scoring position with a sacrifice fly and an RBI groundout.
In all, Wittenberg collected 10 hits in the game, and they also took advantage of six Carroll errors. The solid work at the plate made a winner out of pitcher Samantha Zungri (Canal Winchester, OH / Canal Winchester), who worked all five innings to improve to 4-1 on the season. She scattered seven hits, all singles, and one walk to allow just four unearned runs.
The Spring Break was more of the same for the offensive-minded Tigers, as Wittenberg struck for six runs in the top of the first inning and never looked back against Alfred. The Saxons, who fell to 7-3 on the season, managed just one lone run in the bottom of the first inning against freshman pitcher Lilly Shaw (Washington Courthouse, OH / Washington).
Shaw picked up her first collegiate victory as she worked an extremely efficient five innings. Shaw allowed one run on four hits without walking any batters. And she did it all on just 44 pitches, 29 of which were strikes.
At the plate, Ecker was in the middle of things again, collecting three hits, scoring a run, and driving in another. Kristen Wright (Springfield, OH / Kenton Ridge) went 2-for-4 with a triple, two runs scored and two RBIs, Giel had another 2-for-3 game, and Diana Quevedo (La Quinta, CA / La Quinta) drove in a pair of runs as well.
Through 10 games in the Sunshine State, Wittenberg's offense has posted a robust .361 batting average, helping the Tigers to outscore their opponents, 67-33. The pitching staff has been outstanding as well, limiting opponents to just 15 earned runs for a stingy 1.69 ERA.
After the long trip home and a return to classes on Monday, the Tigers will return to action at Capital on Wednesday, March 19, followed by their home opener against Earlham at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 22.