Tigers Overcome Shutout to Split Doubleheader

TIFFIN, OH - The Wittenberg Tiger Softball team traveled to Tiffin to take on the Heidelberg Student Princes in a doubleheader. After being shutout in game one, 7-0, the Tigers bounced back as the bats started to get hot and the pitching was stellar en route to a 7-3 victory. After the series split, the Tigers are 21-7 on the 2025 season, the best record currently in the NCAC, while the Student Princes fall to .500 at 16-16.

In game one, the Tigers were unable to get the bats going as they managed just five hits. Along with the struggling bats, the Tigers used three of pitchers as Samantha Zungri (Canal Winchester, OH / Canal Winchester) started and lost her third game of the season as she surrendered three runs on eight hits over three innings. Lilly Shaw (Washington Courthouse, OH / Washington) then threw another inning and one-third and allowed another three runs before Lilly James (Troy, OH / Troy) put the Heidelberg bats on ice, throwing one and two-thirds innings, only allowing one hit and zero runs while striking out two.

Game One Team Leaders

• Five Wittenberg players recorded one hit each, and Rebekah Giel (Amelia, OH / West Clermont) reached with a double as the only Tiger with an extra base hit.
• Kyleigh Bartlett (Beavercreek, OH / Beavercreek) was the only Tiger with a stolen base in game one after pinch-running for the only Tiger to draw a walk, Hanna Ecker (Heath, OH / Heath).

Game One Team Comparison

• The Student Princes led the Tigers in every statistical category to run away with the win.

Game Two

After Heidelberg scored the first run of game two, the Tigers caught fire in both the batter's box and in the circle. In the circle, Julie Hall (Powell, OH / Bishop Watterson) threw a total of four and one-third innings, allowing four hits and three runs (none earned) to win her seventh game of the season. James came in to relieve once again and struck out three while allowing two hits in two and two-thirds. The Student Princes put one up on the board in the bottom of the first, but Wittenberg answered by scoring three runs to capitalize on mulitple Heidelberg errors. They then added another two runs to push the Tiger lead to five as a run scored on a groundout and Kirsten Wright (Springfield, OH / Kenton Ridge) hit a two-run double. Heidelberg responded with two more in the fifth before Wright smashed another RBI double to add another run to put the Tigers up 7-3, which ended up being the final score.

Game Two Team Leaders

• Wright led the team in hits with three, two of which were doubles, while Meghan McCans (Arcanum, OH / Arcanum) and Kayla Drake (Wilmington, OH / Clinton Massie) each logged two.
• Wright also led the team in RBI with three, all coming on the doubles, and three other players each drove in one.
• Zungri and Diana Quevedo (La Quinta, CA / La Quinta) each stole a base for the Tigers.

Game Two Team Comparison

• The Tigers doubled up on the Student Princes, 12-6, in the hits category, with three of them being for extra bases, while Heidelberg only had one.
• The Tigers' had two stolen bases to Heidelberg's one and only struck out once compared to four for the Student Princes.
• The Tigers' were still able to draw two walks to one for the Student Princes and still left seven runners on base to four left on base for Heidelberg.

The Tigers will compete next on Saturday, April 19th, as they take on DePauw in a doubleheader in Greencastle, Indiana, with the first pitch of game one scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

Written By: Grant Martin