Bryan Burke

Scott Hirsch

It could be that the harsh weather of the last week was a blessing in disguise for the Tiger diamondmen, giving the pitching staff some much-needed rest. The individual results were mixed on Saturday when the Tigers finally managed to get one of the three scheduled games against NCAC West opponent Wabash in as they won 10-7 on the strength of two home runs and six runs batted in by senior shortstop Bryan Burke (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick)

On the mound, senior Brad Cerovac (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick) was solid, giving up just two earned runs in collecting his second victory. He was followed by two relievers who didn't pitch quite as well but did manage to protect the lead.

Senior Scott Hirsch (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain) is the only Tiger player to rank among the league leaders in any statistical category currently. His .455 batting average places him seventh in the NCAC.

The Tigers have a busy week with a road game at Ohio Athletic Conference powerhouse Marietta on Tuesday and non-conference home dates opposite Cedarville on Thursday and Wooster on Saturday. The latter is a doubleheader against the Scots, who are the preseason NCAC favorite and one of the top-ranked Division III teams in the nation.

Next:
4/2 @ Marietta, 5 p.m.
4/4 vs. Cedarville, 4 p.m.
4/6 vs. Wooster (DH), 1 p.m.

Eric Cusick

The Tigers continued their outstanding early-season play last week, taking advantage of decent weather conditions on Saturday to defeat the College of Wooster 5-2 in non-conference action at the Albright Tennis Courts. The win was Wittenberg's fifth straight this spring, and was keyed by a pair of three-set singles wins by No. 3 player, junior Eric Cusick (Lima, Ohio/Senior), and No. 4 player, junior Mike Herzog (Springfield, Ohio/Northwestern). That helped the Tigers overcome an early deficit produced by losing two of three in the doubles competition. 

Earlier in the week, Wittenberg started a match against neighboring rival Cedarville on Thursday but had to suspend action midway through. The two teams will complete the match Wednesday, April 3. Action continues to heat up this week with non-conference tilts on Thursday at Capital and on Saturday at home against Allegheny.

Next:
4/4 @ Capital, 3:30 p.m.
4/6 vs. Allegheny

Chris Silliman

Tim Gaal

Kelly Zilli

The Tiger track and field teams continue to run strong heading into the meat of the spring schedule.  Last weekend at the Gerald England Invitational at the University of Indianapolis, the Tigers were sixth out of 18 teams on the men's side and seventh of 14 teams on the women's. 

Making those strong finishes possible were a slew of outstanding individual performances. On the men's side, there were several personal best, highlighted by the performance of senior Chris Silliman (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington) and sophomore Joel Drake (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) in the discus. Silliman finished second with a throw that topped his previous best by more than 10 feet, while Drake was third with a throw that topped his previous best by more than 10 feet as well. Silliman's throw was good for provisional NCAA Division III qualification, the Tigers' first such mark in the outdoor season. 

The other top men's performance was turned in by freshman Joe Rumschlag (Maumee, Ohio/Toledo Christian), who bettered his previous best in the triple jump by more than two feet in capturing first place in the event. He was the team's lone champion in the meet that was primarily attended by teams in higher scholarship divisions. 

Other men's personal bests were sophomore Tim Gaal (Amanda, Ohio/Clearcreek) in the 110-meter hurdles and discus, junior T.J. Falzone (Coverton, Conn.) in the long jump and triple jump, freshman Chris Waddle (Springfield, Ohio/Greenon) in the shot put, freshman Tim Nguyen (Columbus, Ohio/Groveport-Madison) in the hammer and freshman Dorian Dixon (Cincinnati, Ohio/Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy) in the hammer. 

On the women's side, several personal bests were recorded by sophomore Geri Woessner (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood), managed a mark of 16-3.5 in the long jump, and freshman Hillary Brotzman (Madison, Ohio/The Andrews School) in the 100 and 200. Sophomore Kelly Zilli (Dayton, Ohio/Kettering Alter) and senior Sarah Weide (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Homestead) were as strong as usual in just missing their top times in the 800 and 1500. 

In news that came out too late for last week's release, Silliman, Zilli and sophomore Kristen Mumper (Cincinnati, Ohio/Purcell Marian) were all named NCAC Athletes of the Week for March 25 after their performances in a meet at Defiance on March 23.

Next:
4/5, Wittenberg Twilight Invitational

Dan Patterson	Kyle Prussing

As with many of the Wittenberg spring teams, the weather has been wreaking havoc on the men's lacrosse schedule of late, causing the postponement of one game last week (on the road against Denison) and the first game this week (at home against Washington & Jefferson). The Tigers will return to action after a lengthy midseason layoff on Wednesday when they travel to Marietta for a 4:30 p.m. start. Last year, Wittenberg defeated the Pioneers 23-1 at Edwards-Maurer Field.

The Tigers have just two players ranking among the best in the conference in the early statistics. Junior Dan Patterson (St. Louis, Mo./DeSmet Jesuit) has seven goals and seven assists so far on the season, both team-highs. The latter total, achieved in four games, is good for a 1.75 assists per game average and fifth place in the NCAC in that category. In addition, sophomore goaltender Kyle Prussing (Concord, NH/Concord-Carlisle) leads the NCAC in save percentage with 20 goals against and 40 saves in his four starts.

This week could be one for the Tigers to get well as they make the aforementioned trip to Marietta and then trek to Oberlin for a non-conference game against the Yeomen on Saturday. Wittenberg's one win this year came against Oberlin by a 15-0 count.

Next:
4/3 @ Marietta, 4:30 p.m.
4/6 @ Oberlin, 1:30 p.m.

Beth Walters

The best thing about this week for the Tiger softball team is that there are no games scheduled until Saturday. This is one banged-up unit that needs time to get everything in order. 

On Monday, the Tigers dropped their seventh straight game, falling twice at Mount St. Joseph by scores of 8-0 and 4-2. In the nightcap, the Wittenberg highlights was provided by junior centerfielder Beth Walters (Columbus, Ohio/DeSales), who clubbed her third home run of the spring. A year after the Tigers got just one home run all season, Walters has three, which is good for first place in the NCAC in that category. 

Wittenberg is down to just 11 healthy players on the roster now that freshmen Jennifer Fleming (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne) and Jennifer Baggett (Beavercreek, Ohio/Beavercreek) have suffered season-ending injuries. That number briefly dropped to 10 for Monday's games after senior shortstop Christy Schneider (Fairfield, Ohio/Fairfield) was felled late in last Thursday's loss at Thomas More. She suffered a concussion after colliding with Walters in the outfield going after a fly ball.

North Coast Athletic Conference action opens for the Tigers this weekend as perennial challenger Allegheny comes calling for a Saturday doubleheader. 

Next:
4/6 vs. Allegheny, 1 p.m.

Erin Jacobson

No action last week for the women's lacrosse Tigers. In the latest NCAC statistics, junior Cara Romanowski (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) leads the way with 17 goals and two assists for 19 points, or 3.8 per game. Romanowski's goal total, which is ahead of last year's 47-goal pace, puts here atop the NCAC as 3.4 per game. 

Also among the NCAC's best in scoring and goals is senior Erin Jacobsen (Fairport, NY/Penfield) with 13 goals in five games this year.

They back at it on Saturday, April 6 against Oberlin under the lights at Edwards-Maurer Field. That will be Wittenberg's 2002 NCAC opener. 

Next:
4/6 vs. Oberlin, 7 p.m.

The 2002 spring season home opener has been pushed back to Tuesday against Cedarville, with the Northern Kentucky match slated for last Thursday rescheduled for April 17.

Next:
4/2 vs. Cedarville, 4 p.m.