Springfield, OH - The Tigers welcomed the Kenyon Owls to Betty Doughman Dillahunt Field for their third doubleheader in four days. After getting swept by Denison two days earlier, the Tigers got back on track with a six-inning 9-1 win, followed by an 11-5 win to complete the sweep of the Owls.
In game one, Samantha Zungri (Canal Winchester, OH / Canal Winchester) threw all six innings and allowed only one run on four hits and one walk, and she ended the game with five stirkeouts. At the plate, Wittenberg was also on fire. The scoring started on a groudout from Meghan McCans (Arcanum, OH / Arcanum) in the third, and in the fourth, the Tigers scored another five runs, starting with an RBI single by Hanna Ecker (Heath, OH / Heath), followed by two doubles, before another run from Rebekah Giel (Amelia, OH / West Clermont) on a double steal with Ecker. Kenyon added a run in the top of the sixth on a passed ball, and Wittenberg ended the game with a Julia Burch (Dublin, OH / Dublin Jerome) two-run double.
Team Leaders
- Burch, Kirsten Wright (Springfield, OH / Kenton Ridge) and Gada Bryant (Westville, IL / Bismark Henning) led the team with two hits apiece.
- Bryant led the team with three RBIs, and McCans and Burch each finished with two.
- Shannon Flaherty (Burlington, KY / Saint Henry District) paced the team in runs scored with three.
Team Comparison
- Wittenberg logged nine hits in comparison to four for Kenyon, and five Tiger hits were for extra bases while only one of the Owls' was a double.
- Wittenberg tallied six total stolen bases to none for the Owls and Kenyon struck out five itmes while the Tiger hitters didn't record a single strikeout.
Game Two
Starting in the circle for game two for the Tigers was Julie Hall (Powell, OH / Bishop Watterson). She allowed three runs in the first inning but bounced back by throwing an additional two innings of scoreless ball. Lilly Shaw (Washington Courthouse, OH / Washington) then entered the game and allowed two run in two innings before Lilly James (Troy, OH / Troy) got the last six outs of the game, allowing no hits and striking out three batters.
The bats stayed hot for the Tigers as they scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning. It was started by Wright, who hit a single to drive in McCans. Wittenberg followed that up with five runs in the second as Wright got it started with a bases loaded walk. After a fielder's choice and error allowed another run to cross the plate, back-to-back base hits from Ecker and Flaherty drove in another three. The Owls added two to their tally in the fifth, and the Tigers added two more runs to make the deficit six through the sixth inning on an RBI single from Giel and a double from Ecker to plate Giel.
Team Leaders
- Ecker led the team in hits with three, while Burch and Giel each added two.
- Ecker also paced the team in RBI with four, and Giel added another three.
- Burch and Giel had six runs total as they each crossed the plate three times.
- Giel also added two stolen bases, and five other Tigers each added one.
Team Comparison
- The Tigers strung together 13 hits to nine for the Owls, while Wittenberg struck out twice and Kenyon struck out three times as a team.
- Wittenberg also ran wild on the basepaths, logging seven stolen bases to only two for Kenyon.
Milestones
- James reached 150 strikouts on her career.
- Zungri now has 100 strikeouts in her collegiate pitching career.
- McCans has eclipsed 100 hits.
- Ecker now has 150 hits and 100 RBIs in her Wittenberg career.
The Tigers will be in action again on Wednesday, April 16th, as they travel to Heidelberg for another doubleheader with the first pitch slated for 3:00 p.m.
Written By: Grant Martin