Wittenberg Splits NCAC-Opening Doubleheader At Ohio Wesleyan
The Wittenberg Tigers knew they were starting into a new season on Wednesday, and for a while they made the most of that fresh start with a 7-4 victory in Game 1 against defending North Coast Athletic Conference regular season co-champion Ohio Wesleyan. But the youthful Tigers were back to their old tricks in the nightcap, a 7-2 loss that left Wittenberg with a 5-17 overall record and a 1-1 mark in the NCAC.
DELAWARE, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers knew they were starting into a new season on Wednesday, and for a while they made the most of that fresh start with a 7-4 victory in Game 1 against defending North Coast Athletic Conference regular season co-champion Ohio Wesleyan. But the youthful Tigers were back to their old tricks in the nightcap, a 7-2 loss that left Wittenberg with a 5-17 overall record and a 1-1 mark in the NCAC.
A split in this case is hardly something to be disappointed with, but in this case, the Tigers must be wondering what could have been. After freshman Taryn Hensel pitched the Tigers to the win in the opener, the ace of the Tiger pitching staff, senior Norah Gillam, took the ball in Game 2, only to watch her defense commit six errors, including four in a disastrous six-run first inning.
Gillam is now 3-7 on the season, yet she has a respectable 3.05 earned run average. In 59.2 innings pitched, Gillam has allowed 26 earned runs out of 47 total runs scored against her. In this game, three of OWU's seven runs were unearned.
In the opener, Hensel and the Tigers were the beneficiary of five Ohio Wesleyan errors, compared to two for Wittenberg. She allowed seven hits and two walks, while three of OWU's four runs were earned. Offensively, four Tiger players had multi-hit games, led by sophomore Erin Collinsworth and her three hits and three runs batted in. Gillam and sophomores Stephanie Zorn and Lucy Huelsman each had two hits.
The second game wasn't as good for the Tiger offense. Collinsworth had two more hits, while sophomore catcher Jamie Bockelman had her best offensive performance of the season with a 2-for-3 outing.