SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Wittenberg baseball team dropped a non-conference game with Ohio Northern on Thursday night, falling to 15-10 overall with the 4-2 loss.
The Ohio Northern (14-7) starting pitcher Craig Leopold held the Tiger offense to four hits in the game and two runs, one earned, while striking out nine batters. The Tigers used the midweek contest to get five different pitchers some work, combining to give up 12 hits.
For Wittenberg, senior Sam Clement (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young) and freshman Tyler Grau (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller) each pitched a scoreless inning. Grau set down all three batters he faced while Clement allowed one hit and hit one batter.
Junior Brad Prewitt (Westerville, Ohio/South) was tagged for one unearned run on two hits in his one-inning appearance in the seventh. Freshman JC Birr (Dayton, Ohio/Carroll) took the loss one two runs, both earned, on four hits in two innings of relief. Junior Andy Sharek (Sewickley, Pa./Sewickley Academy) held the Polar Bears to one run on five hits in a four-inning start.
Senior Ray Noe (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome), who is hitting .440 when he bats as the Tigers' leadoff hitter, turned in a 2-for-4 outing at the plate. He owns a .627 slugging percentage and .481 on-base percentage when he starts the Tiger lineup.
Junior Matt Hampp (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) and senior Jason Haunty (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) each went 1-for-4, Haunty claiming the Tigers' lone RBI on the day when he drove in Noe from third with a grounder through the pitcher's legs in the eighth inning.
The Tigers picked up their other run in the bottom of the second following a steal of second base by senior Ben Gurney (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central). The throw to second sailed into center field and Gurney took off for third, where the center fielder's throw overshot its mark and allowed the runner to score.
The Tigers return to North Coast Athletic Conference action with a big weekend, first at Denison University on Saturday, April 9, at Noon and then back in Springfield for a 1 p.m. showdown with the College of Wooster. Both engagements are doubleheaders.
John Strawn '07