Posted by: Ryan Maurer

Katie Gildow

The Tiger softball team continued to play well last week, splitting a doubleheader with fellow North Coast Athletic Conference title contender Wooster on Tuesday, sweeping conference rival Hiram on Saturday and splitting a doubleheader with Defiance on Sunday. The action brought the Tigers to 16-12 overall, and more importantly 7-1 in the NCAC heading into the stretch run of the 2003 season.

Against Wooster, the Tigers dropped Game 1 4-1 before rallying for the split behind the masterful pitching of sophomore Jen Fleming (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne), who allowed just two hits and two walks in a complete-game shutout 3-0 victory. Sophomore Katie Niemeyer (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay) had the biggest offensive blow of the day, driving in two runs with a fourth-inning double.

Against Hiram, Wittenberg simply dominated in capturing a pair of shutout run-rule shortened games by scores of 8-0 and 10-0. In the opener, sophomore Norah Gillam (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield) tossed a five-inning, one-hit shutout and junior Carmen Montgomery (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) drove in three runs from the leadoff position in the order. In the nightcap, Fleming had a second straight shutout complete-game win and Niemeyer, sophomore Katie Carver (Enon, Ohio/Greenon) and freshman Kelly Sasavicz (Massillon, Ohio/Massillon) each drove in two runs.

Against Defiance, junior Katie Gildow (Bellefontaine, Ohio/Bellefontaine) was the hero of Game 1, a 6-5 victory for the Tigers. She drove in the game-winning run in the top of the seventh inning on a two-out double and then pitching a perfect bottom half of the inning to pick up the victory. In Game 2, Defiance put together a pair of four-run innings to take an insurmountable lead and go on to a 10-7 lead. The Tigers did get some strong offensive performances, most notably from sophomore Jennifer Baggett (Beavercreek, Ohio/Beavercreek), who had two hits and three runs.

Fleming was named NCAC Pitcher of the Week after hurling her two complete-game shutouts last week. She improved her record on the season to 5-4 and has a 2.84 earned run average.

This is a big week for the Tigers, who start off with a previously postponed game against Thomas More on Tuesday. On Thursday, NCAC leader and two-time defending champion Denison, sporting a 6-0 record in conference play, invades Betty Dillahunt Field for a doubleheader that could determine home field advantage for the upcoming NCAC tournament.

Next: 4/15 vs. Thomas More, 3:30 p.m.
4/17 vs. Denison, 3:30 p.m.

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Casey Clagett

The Tiger men's tennis team was outstanding over the weekend, sweeping a pair of dual matches at home against NCAC rivals Earlham and Allegheny. The victory over the Quakers improved the Tigers to 3-0 in the NCAC West and set up a showdown with perennial powerhouse and two-time defending division champion Denison, which is also unbeaten, on Wednesday.

Against Earlham, which came in sporting an 11-1 overall record, Wittenberg wasn't tested, taking all six singles matches and all three doubles matches without dropping a set. Against Allegheny, several of the matches were tighter, but the outcome was the same, a 7-0 sweep.

Five of the Tigers' six singles players have winning records and all have a winning mark against NCAC West competition. Senior No. 1 player Casey Clagett (Steamboat Springs, Colo./Steamboat Springs) is 20-8 overall and 3-0 in the NCAC West; senior No. 3 player Eric Cusick (Lima, Ohio/Senior) is 18-5 and 3-0; senior No. 4 player Mike Herzog (Springfield, Ohio/Northwestern) is 13-9 and 3-0; senior No. 5 player Ben Hodgkiss-Lilly (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) is 14-6 and 3-0; and freshman No. 6 player Shane Hutton (Charleston, W.V./Catholic) is 11-9 overall and 2-1.

All three doubles teams have winning records with at least 11 victories on the campaign. None of the combinations have lost an NCAC West match.

Next: 4/15 vs. Cedarville, 3:30 p.m.
4/16 vs. Denison, 5 p.m.

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Kristyn Russell

It was about as successful a week as a team can have. The Tiger women's team won three North Coast Athletic Conference matches in three days, all on its home courts. The wins moved the Tigers back to .500 overall this season and 4-1 in the NCAC.

The Tigers recorded wins of 7-2 over Ohio Wesleyan, 8-1 over Earlham and 7-2 over Oberlin.

It was another perfect week for No. 2 singles player Shannon Oliphant (Columbus, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson), a senior who is already a two-time second-team All-NCAC selection. Oliphant has the best record on the team and among the NCAC No. 2 singles players at 16-3 mark. She is also one of three Tiger players sporting perfect NCAC records, the others being freshman No. 4 singles player Kristyn Russell (Loveland, Ohio/Mt. Notre Dame) and the doubles tandem of Oliphant and sophomore Emily Figel (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Homestead).

In addition, junior No. 6 singles player Deana Nowakowski (Uniontown, Ohio/Lake) checks in with a record of 10-6. No. 1 singles player Figel has a mark of 10-9 after a 3-0 week and a record of 4-1 in NCAC action.

Next: 4/17 vs. O. Northern, 3:30 p.m.

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Jon Komperda

Baseball (14-13-1, 3-5 NCAC West) Coach: Jay Lewis (7th season) The Tiger baseball team has a lot of work to do as the 2003 season hits the stretch run after splitting four home games over the weekend with NCAC West Division rival Earlham. Wittenberg is in fourth place in a loaded five-team division, and only the top two teams make the NCAC Tournament.

Fortunately for the Tigers, the ground can still be made up, but it won't be easy. The first opportunity will be Thursday and Saturday when Wittenberg plays four games against first-place Denison in Granville. The following weekend features four games at defending division champion Ohio Wesleyan.

Last week, the Tigers started off with a 3-1 loss at Division I Dayton on Thursday. Wittenberg led 1-0, thanks to a third-inning run scored by sophomore Jon Komperda (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay) until the eighth inning, when the Flyers scored three times.

In the weekend series against Earlham, the Tigers won the second and third games by finals of 12-7 and 3-0, but dropped the opener and the finale counts of 7-5 and 8-3. Wittenberg led in both of the losses as late as the fourth inning.

The opener went nine innings after Earlham rallied to tie it with two runs in the seventh inning. Offensively, Wittenberg got two hits and an RBI each from Komperda and junior Matt Oberdorfer (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston). In Saturday's nightcap, six players had two-hit games, and four players scored at least two runs, including sophomore James Kaylor (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler), who crossed the plate three times.

In Sunday's opener, senior Brian Robinson (Columbus, Ohio/Centennial) pitched a gem, going the distance for the shutout victory. He allowed just four hits and four walks in seven games, while sophomore Brandon Godzik (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler) and sophomore Matt Foster (Granville, Ohio/Granville) contributed two hits apiece to the offensive attack.

In the series finale, however, the Tigers let an early 2-0 lead slip away as the Quakers struck for six in the decisive fourth inning. Komperda and freshman K.R. Schlievert (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay) led the offense with two hits each, but it wasn't enough.

Next: 4/15 vs. Thomas More, 6 p.m.
4/17 at Denison (DH), 1 p.m.
4/19 at Denison (DH), Noon

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Jenny Burns

The Tiger women's lacrosse team won two of three last week, including its first game outside the conference. On Wednesday, Wittenberg bested visiting Earlham 13-3. On Friday, the Tigers were defeated by host Denison 13-6. And on Saturday, Wittenberg upended visiting St. Vincent 11-8 at Edwards-Maurer Field.

In the win over Earlham sophomore Jenny Burns (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) was outstanding, leading the offensive charge with four goals and an assist. She added two goals against Denison and five more and an assist against St. Vincent for 11 on the week, the most in the NCAC. Burns had a fine performance all-around for the week as she also finished with three assists, four ground balls, four caused turnovers and six draw controls.

Senior Cara Romanowski (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) added three goals against Earlham, two against Denison and four against St. Vincent. She ranks among the conference leaders in total points and goals with 28. Burns also is among the NCAC's best in both categories as she has contributed 27 goals and 32 total points on the season.

Wittenberg has a less hectic week on tap with a lone game at Wooster on Thursday. The Scots are one of the top teams in the conference.

Next: 4/17 at Wooster, 4 p.m.

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Kristopher Schmelzer

The Tiger men's golf team finished 10th in a loaded 17-team field at the Denison Spring Invitational last weekend at Granville Country Club. In a tightly packed field, the Tigers finished 27 strokes off the 612 posted by Wooster, which won by five strokes over the host Big Red and perennial power Muskingum and seven over nationally ranked Ohio Wesleyan.

Sophomore Andy Bonar (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) and freshman Kristopher Schmelzer (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) carded matching158s, good for a tie for 26th place. In addition, freshman Clinton Anderson (Mechanicsburg, Ohio/Mechanicsburg) finished 50th with a 162 and junior Adam Knowlton (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) and senior Jesse Fyffe (Chillicothe, Ohio/Chillicothe) finished with matching 167s, which earned a tie for 70th.

This week, the Tigers again face a strong field on a tough course as Wooster hosts its annual invitational tournament on Friday and Saturday.

Next: 4/18-19 Wooster Invitational

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Mike Sweeney

The Tiger men's lacrosse team struggled through a tough week, falling 13-4 to Kenyon in an NCAC game on Wednesday and then losing 11-5 to Wooster in an NCAC game on Saturday. The losses guaranteed the Tigers no better than a fifth-place finish in the conference standings.

Against Kenyon, the Tigers took a 2-0 lead in the first quarter, but were outscored 13-1 in the second and third stanzas. Freshman Mike Sweeney (Cincinnati, Ohio/Indian Hill) finished with two goals to lead the Tiger offense, while junior goaltender Kyle Prussing (Concord, Mass./Concord-Carlisle) made six saves.

Against Wooster, senior Dan Patterson (St. Louis, Mo./DeSmet Jesuit) and junior Hans Rydquist (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) had two goals apiece. But the Tigers dug themselves a 10-2 hole before coming alive in the fourth quarter for three goals.

This week, the Tigers will face the same nationally ranked opponent twice. A twice re-scheduled home game against Ohio Wesleyan is slated for Tuesday at Edwards-Maurer Field, and the return game, which will not count toward the conference standings, is on the docket for Saturday.

Next: 4/15 vs. O. Wesleyan, 4:30 p.m.
4/23 at O. Wesleyan, 4:30 p.m.

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Skip Ivery

The Tiger track and field teams hosted the Wittenberg Twilight Invitational on Friday at the Earl F. Morris Track. No team scores were accumulated as the event featured a strong contingent of teams from various NCAA and NAIA divisions.

Junior Skip Ivery (Columbus, Ohio/Groveport-Madison) was the highlight of the meet as he won both the 100 meters and the 110-meter high hurdles in personal-best times. His time of 14.65 in the hurdles was good for an NCAA provisional qualifying standard, just a month after he finished second in the nation in the 55-meter high hurdles during the NCAA Division III Indoor Championship meet.

For his efforts, Ivery was named NCAC Sprinter/Hurdler Athlete of the Week.

Next: 4/19 at Earlham Invitational