Wittenberg Splits Doubleheader With NCAC West Division Rival Ohio Wesleyan

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers were 1-for-2 on Saturday afternoon in the friendly confines of Carleton Davidson Stadium.

In the opener of a key North Coast Athletic Conference West Division series, senior pitcher Jason Holmberg turned in a phenomenal performance, tossing an 11-inning complete-game to lead the Tigers to a 4-3 victory over visiting Ohio Wesleyan. That was followed by a parade of Tiger hurlers who struggled with the potent Battling Bishops lineup in a 10-3 OWU victory in Game 2.

The doubleheader split left the Tigers with a 10-8 overall record, but more importantly a 3-3 mark in the early going of the NCAC West title chase. The Battling Bishops are atop the early-season standings with a 5-1 mark, which included a four-game sweep of Earlham last weekend.

In the opener, Wittenberg rallied from a 3-0 deficit with a run in the bottom of the fifth inning and two more in the seventh. Senior outfielder Matt Berry's RBI single in the fifth put the Tigers on the board, and then sophomore catcher Matt Steinke assumed the role of hero, banging out a two-run homer with one out in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game.

In the four extra innings, Holmberg allowed base hits three times but worked out of danger in each case. Wittenberg finally broke through in the 11th as freshman Jacob Michael tripled with one out. After Steinke was intentionally walked, Michael scored on a wild pitch to end the game.

The nightcap went bad from the start for the Tigers as OWU a two runs in the first inning and then broke things open with three runs in the fourth, four in the fifth and an insurance tally in the sixth. Wittenberg managed to string six singles together in the bottom of the seventh, pushing three runs across to avoid the shutout, which would have been the Tigers' first of the season.