Tigers Sweep NCAC Doubleheader at DePauw

GREENCASTLE, IN – The Tigers brought their bats and a broom on the road to Indiana, scoring 27 runs on the day to sweep DePauw and post their first two North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) wins of the season.

Wittenberg opened conference play with a doubleheader against DePauw on Saturday, March 29, and captured a 5-2 win in game one, followed by a 22-2 victory in game two at Walker Field behind a potent offensive attack to improve to 15-5 on the season and 2-0 in the NCAC. With the W's, the Tigers are on a four-game win streak. DePauw drops to 6-13 overall and 0-2 NCAC.

In game one, the Tigers scored two in the first, two in the fifth and one more in the eighth, while DePauw scored only two in the second inning. Witt tallied five runs on eight hits and committed one error. DePauw registered two runs on seven hits and committed an error. 

First baseman Xander Rodriguez (Salinas, PR / Franklin County) had a big day in game one going 2-for-2 at the plate with two walks, three RBI, and scoring a run. Rocco Royer (Lake Bluff, IL / Lake Forest) had the Tigers' only homerun of the game for an RBI and he scored two runs. Both Alex Nemunaitis (Perrysburg, OH / Ottawa Hills) and Parker Gryskevich (Brownsburg, IN / Brownsburg) had a double on the day. Nemunaitis knocked in the team's other run and had two stolen bases. Gryskevich scored the Tigers' other run. 

Nate Floyd (Akron, OH / Copley) picked up his third win of the season going 5.2 innings and allowing two runs on six hits while striking out seven. Charlie Schafer (Beavercreek, OH / Beavercreek) picked up his fifth save of the season and registered two strikeouts.

The Tigers opened the floodgates in game two, crossing the plate 22 times to run rule DePauw 22-2 in seven innings. It was the second-highest-scoring game for Witt, which defeated Immaculata 23-5 in early March. The Tigers put a 10 spot on the board in the third inning. They also scored three in the first, four in the fourth, and five in the fifth with 20 total hits in the game. DePauw scored two in the second inning and had a total of four hits and two errors. 

Royer was the heavy hitter going 4-for-4 with eight RBI. He also scored three runs and belted two homers. Rodriguez, who was 4-for-5 at the plate, landed three doubles, added two RBI, and scored four runs. Gryskevich went 4-for-5 with four RBI, landed two home runs, and scored twice. Luke Thomas  (Tallmadge, OH / Tallmadge) was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored; Tommy Chilicki (Lewis Center, OH / Olentangy)was 2-for-3 with two RBI, and three runs scored; and Ashton Newton (Medina, OH / Cloverleaf) was 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored. Nemunaitis drew two walks and scored twice and Quintin Applegate (Delaware, OH / Olentangy Berlin) went 1-for-2 with two RBI, drew two walks, and scored three times. James MacAuley (Grosse Pointe Woods, MI / Grosse Pointe North) went 2-for-4 and scored two runs. 

Andrew Rust (Dublin, OH / Dublin Coffman) pitched five innings to earn his fourth win of the season. He gave up two runs on three hits while punching out eight batters. Wade Thewes (Parker, CO / Lutheran) took over on the mound in the final two innings giving up just one hit while striking out three. The Tigers used 20 players in the big win.

Next up, Wittenberg will host Otterbein on Wednesday, April 2 with the first pitch starting at 6 p.m.

Written By: Cindy Holbrook