Tigers Come Up One Run Shy Of NCAC Tournament Title
Wittenberg nearly pulled off the improbable, reaching the NCAC Tournament championship game before losing 3-2 to Allegheny.
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GREENCASTLE, Ind. – It was a magical ride that ended just short of its destination for the Wittenberg Tigers, who battled back to the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament championship game before losing a heartbreaking 3-2 decision to Allegheny.
Forced into a win-or-lose scenario by an 8-1 loss to the Gators in their second game on Friday, the Tigers started the day by defeating host DePauw in an elimination game Saturday morning. That was followed by a 7-4 victory over Allegheny that put the Tigers on the brink of their first NCAC Tournament title since 2003.
It wasn't to be, however, as the Gators made a 3-0 lead through four innings stand up. The Tigers battled back with runs in the fifth and sixth innings, but Allegheny turned a clutch double play in the bottom of the seventh to preserve the victory.
Wittenberg ended the season with a record of 23-13 after finishing in the four-way tie for second place in the NCAC regular season title chase. The Tigers were the No. 2 seed in the tournament by virtue of tiebreaker criteria, while Allegheny, also a part of the second-place deadlock, was awarded the No. 4 seed. The Gators will carry a 21-18 overall record into the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Sophomore Ashlee Wright (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) was the hitting star for the Tigers on the day, collecting five hits in the three games, including home runs in each of the two games against Allegheny. Wright drove in five runs on the day.
Wright was one of four Tigers to earn spots on the NCAC All-Tournament team. She was joined by juniors Laura Rose (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins), Kaitie Harrison (Springfield, Ohio/Kenton Ridge) and Rachel Ross (Westerville, Ohio/South).
Rose finished her season with 32 steals in 33 attempts, including six of seven over the two days of the tournament. She banged out five hits in the three games on Saturday, scoring four runs and stealing four bases. Harrison added three hits, including a clutch base knock in the game against DePauw that plated a pair of base-runners.
Finally, Ross capped a special season in the pitcher's circle with 11 more outstanding innings in the win over DePauw and the championship loss to Allegheny. She finished the season with a 17-6 overall record to go along with a 2.34 earned run average while pitching 143 of the Tigers' 245 innings in 2013.
Ross had plenty of pitching help on the final day of the season, as sophomore Julia Williams (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) picked up the win in the first game against Allegheny and freshman Kaela Hughes (Columbus, Ohio/Watterson) tossed three scoreless innings in relief in the final contest.