Tigers Sweep Oberlin on Senior Day

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio—Wittenberg softball swept Oberlin 5-1 and 1-0 on Senior day, as both Tiger seniors picked up wins in the circle on Saturday. Chelsea Zang took a no-hitter into the seventh inning for Wittenberg in game one, while Abby Haab blanked Oberlin in seven innings of run-free softball in game two. The Tiger's sweep sends the NCAC's first-place team to 17-15 overall, and 9-1 in NCAC league play.

GAME ONE: Wittenberg took a 1-0 lead right off the bat on Saturday, as Abby Curnutte singled home Missy Lee on a hot-shot back up the box. Wittenberg's offense struck yet again in the fourth inning, as Elise Freeland laced an RBI single into centerfield, plating Katy Baumgartner. With a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth, Rachel Black fought off pitch after pitch before sending an Oberlin offering deep over the left-field fence for her second homerun of the year, stretching the Tiger lead to 4-0 as Elaina Adams scored. Wittenberg tacked on one more in the bottom of the sixth, as Freeland grounded out to the Oberlin shortstop, allowing Baumgartner to scurry home safely. Zang was virtually unhittable in her senior day start, as the Cincinnati native scattered two hits and one unearned run in seven innings of work. 55 of Zang's 75 pitches were strikes, as the Tiger's defense was solid all afternoon. Lee, Zang, Black and Baumgartner all recorded two-hit days for Wittenberg in the game one 5-1 win.

GAME TWO: Wittenberg managed to scratch across a run in the bottom of the fifth inning on an RBI single by Curnutte, scoring Freeland. In the circle, Haab took the momentum that Zang created for the Tigers in game one and kept the ball rolling, scattering six hits and striking out seven in seven innings of work. Haab threw 74 strikes, and 96 total pitches in the seven inning shutout. At the plate, Wittenberg was led by Freeland and Briana Gibson who each recorded two hits apiece for the Tigers.

ZANG: Chelsea's career ERA currently stands at 1.74, the best in program history. Her 525 innings pitched puts her second all-time along with a 3^rd best strikeout mark of 307. Chelsea also sits in second place in career victories on the mound with 52.  At the plate she has hit a second-best 12 homeruns in her career with a .309 average and slugging .504. Chelsea has been a First Team All-NCAC honoree each year she's played. In 2015 she was named Newcomer of the Year in the conference and awarded Third Team All-Central Region. In both 2016 and 2017 Chelsea was the NCAC Pitcher of the Year and a First Team All-Region selection. Chelsea plans to continue her academic career at Wittenberg in the Master's in Coaching program this fall.

HAAB: Abby boasts a career ERA of 2.97, amassing 279 strikeouts in 361 innings pitched. She is currently ranked 5^th all time in wins with 38, and 4^th all time in strikeouts.  Abby was a back to back Second Team All-NCAC selection in 2016 and 2017. She is also the only player in Wittenberg history with two career perfect games to her name. In addition to her on-field achievements, Abby is a two year team captain, the 2017-2018 SAAC president, a member of the prestigious CABLE Program, and has held a number of positions in her sorority. Upon graduation, Abby has accepted a position as a financial analyst at Scotts Miracle-Gro in Columbus.

UP NEXT: Wittenberg is back in action on Tuesday, April 24 against Wooster. First pitch is set for 3:30 P.M. in Springfield.