Bryan Burke

Ryan Goldschmidt

The Tiger baseball team may be catching fire at just the right time, heading into the biggest week of the season winners of seven of their last eight games. Last week, Wittenberg won five straight North Coast Athletic Conference games against Earlham and Denison, sandwiched around a road defeat at Mt. St. Joseph last Tuesday.

After watching the rain fall for a weekend, the Tigers started off their week on a strong note, sweeping a pair of NCAC West Division games at Earlham on Monday, 6-4 and 4-1. In the opener, senior shortstop Bryan Burke (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick) went 4-for-4 with three runs scored to power the Tigers to a 6-4 win. Freshman Ryan Goldschmidt (Ft. Loramie, Ohio/Ft. Loramie) and junior Brian Robinson (Columbus, Ohio/Centennial) teamed up to handle the pitching duties. In the nightcap, junior Adam Abraham (Granville, Ohio/Granville) had his best outing of the season, yielding just three hits and one earned run while walking no Earlham batters and striking out four. The Tigers got an offensive boost from senior centerfielder Lance Dill (Bellville, Ohio/Clear Fork), who had two hits and two RBI.

Following a 5-2 defeat at Mt. St. Joseph, the Tigers rallied for another win over Earlham on Thursday, this time by a 12-2 count. Dill, who had four hits and three runs scored, and junior first baseman Ryan Born (Marion, Ohio/Pleasant), who had two hits, three runs and five RBI, were the offensive catalysts. Sophomore Kurt Hartfelder (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) and freshman Wayne Massie (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh) teamed up to shut the Quakers down on the mound.

Saturday brought warm, pleasant weather and an important doubleheader sweep against visiting Denison, 6-4, and 8-1. In the opener, senior second baseman Karl Friedhoff (Sunman, Ind./Central) and senior Scott Hirsch (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain) both had timely two-out RBI hits to spark the offense and freshman Ryan Goldschmidt (Ft. Loramie, Ohio/Ft. Loramie) tossed a complete-game to get the pitching victory. In the nightcap, senior Brad Cerovac (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick) turned in one of his best performances, going the distance on the mound. Offensively, the Tigers spread things around, getting base hits from eight of the nine hitters in the batting order and RBIs from five different players.

This week, the Tigers are exclusively in NCAC West action thanks to earlier rainouts. Currently situated atop the standings, percentage points ahead of 8-1 Ohio Wesleyan, the Tigers host Denison Tuesday, travel to Wabash for a doubleheader on Thursday and then host the nationally ranked defending conference champion Bishops for three games over the weekend.

One Tiger win clinches a spot in the NCAC tournament, which includes the top two teams in each division. The tourney is slated for May 4-5 at the sites of the two division champions. The championship series will take place the following weekend. Wittenberg has never won the NCAC tournament.

Next:
4/23 vs. Denison, 5 p.m.
4/25 @ Wabash (DH), 1 p.m.
4/27 vs. Ohio Wesleyan (DH), Noon
4/28 vs. Ohio Wesleyan, 1 p.m.

Duby Lakos

Rob Postma

In what can only be described as a near-miss, the Tiger men's tennis team finally had its perfect season come to an end last week, losing heartbreakers to Division II Northern Kentucky and NCAC favorite Denison.

Wittenberg won its first 11 matches of the year and entered last week unbeaten in two NCAC West Division matches. Following a 7-0 win over Otterbein last Monday, the Tigers fell 5-2 to Northern Kentucky in their final home match of the season. Following a lengthy rain/lightning delay, the match finally got started and the Tigers lost the doubles point 2-1. Then two of the six singles matches were extended to three sets, with both No. 1 junior Casey Clagett (Steamboat Springs, Colo./Steamboat Springs) and No. 2 sophomore Duby Lakos (Lynchburg, Va./Heritage) falling.

Then on Friday at Denison, the Tigers' NCAA tournament bubble may have burst. The Big Red, the defending NCAC champion and a perennial national title contender, may have thwarted Wittenberg's bid for a first-ever trip to the national tourney with a hard-fought 4-3 win over the Tigers. Clagett, Lakos and No. 3 junior Eric Cusick (Lima, Ohio/Senior) all registered singles wins, and Lakos paired with No. 6 singles court senior Rob Postma (Tallmadge, Ohio/Tallmadge) for a doubles win. But No. 5 singles court junior Ben Hodgkiss-Lilly (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) lost a three-setter in the deciding match.

With the NCAC tournament on the horizon, the Tigers have three players in possession of the top marks at their singles flight positions. Clagett is tops with a 21-3 mark at No. 1 singles, junior Mike Herzog (Springfield, Ohio/Northwestern) shows the way at No. 4 singles with a 14-4 record and Postma is the best currently at No. 6 singles with a 12-2 mark. The current lineup of Clagett and Hodgkiss-Lilly at No. 1 doubles,  Lakos and Postma at No. 2 doubles, and Cusick and Herzog at No. 3 doubles have combined for an 18-5 overall record and a mark of 10-2 in the NCAC.

Clagett is ranked among the top players in the region heading into Tuesday's important nonconference dual match against Kenyon. In order to make the national tournament as an individual, however, he likely will need to win the rest of his matches on the season.

Next:
4/23 @ Kenyon, 3:30 p.m.

Norah Gillam

Beth Walters

The Tiger softball team is showing what it is made of, battling back from a rash of injuries and hard luck to win four of five games last week. With just one week of regular season conference games remaining, Wittenberg is now in position to claim one of four spots in the NCAC tournament, which is scheduled for May 3-5.

Last week, the Tigers started things off on Wednesday with a 5-4 win over Kenyon. After a lengthy lightning/rain delay, Wittenberg rallied from a four-run first inning deficit to defeat the Ladies. Game 2 was called after two innings due to darkness and will not be made up. Freshman Norah Gillam (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield) and junior Beth Walters (Columbus, Ohio/DeSales) each had two hits and an RBI to key the offense in the win.

Rain forced a difficult weekend road trip, but the Tigers split a Saturday doubleheader with Hiram and then swept two from Oberlin on Sunday to climb above .500 in the NCAC for the first time this year. This week's action against first-place Denison on Tuesday and second-place Wooster on Saturday will determine the Tigers' postseason fate.

Against Hiram, freshman pitcher Christy Cartaya (Mason, Ohio/Mt. Notre Dame) threw her best game of the season in the opener, shutting down the Terriers on just four hits and no walks. The Tigers got their lone run on Gillam's second hit of the game in the top of the seventh inning, driving home sophomore Daena Sisk (South Bend, Ind./Marian). In the nightcap, the Terriers claimed a 6-1 victory.

On Sunday at Oberlin, Wittenberg again got a stellar pitching performance to win the first game, this time featuring sophomore Carmen Montgomery (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) in a complete-game three-hitter in which she didn't walk a batter in a 2-1 win. The nightcap also featured Montgomery as she banged out four hits to lead the Tigers in come-from-behind fashion.

Next:
4/23 @ Denison, 3:30 p.m.
4/27 vs. Wooster, Noon

Heading into the home stretch the Tiger women's tennis team is hoping to hold onto a spot in the first division of the NCAC and possibly qualify a player for the NCAA Division III tournament next month.

Last week, the Tigers lost to Division II power Northern Kentucky on Wednesday after waiting out two lightning/rain delays. The team may have lost the match, but freshman Emily Figel (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Homestead) and junior Shannon Oliphant (Columbus, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson), the team's No. 1 and 2 singles player respectively and No. 1 doubles team, both had perfect days. On Thursday, the Tigers rebounded to defeat visiting Otterbein and then on Saturday the Tigers ventured back into the NCAC to defeat visiting Wooster in a match that was moved indoors due to the threat of rain.

Figel is first in the NCAC at the No. 1 singles position with an 18-3 overall mark and 5-0 in the conference, while Oliphant is 14-4 overall and 5-0 in the NCAC, good for the third-best mark among conference competition. Both players were perfect last week.

The season comes to a close this week with a Tuesday match at defending champion Kenyon and the NCAC Tournament at Oberlin on Friday and Saturday. Wittenberg heads into the stretch run alone in third place in the NCAC.

Next:
4/23 @ Kenyon, 3:30 p.m.
4/27-28 @ Oberlin
NCAC Championships

Skip Ivery	Kelly Zilli

Running against some of the best teams in the state at the annual All-Ohio Championships last weekend at Otterbein College and Ohio Wesleyan University, the Tiger track teams continued to excel. The men's team finished fifth in the 17-team field and the women's team wound up 11th.

For the men, sophomore Skip Ivery (Columbus, Ohio/Groveport-Madison) became the first athlete on the team to post an NCAA Division III provisional qualifying time. Ivery, who was named the NCAC Track and Field Runner of the Week for his first-place finish at the All-Ohio Championships, hit the line in the 110-meter high hurdles in 14.83.

He wasn't the only Tiger athlete to finish strong at the meet. In addition, sophomore Joel Drake (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) and senior Chris Silliman (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington) finished second and third respectively in the hammer throw, freshman Joe Rumschlag (Maumee, Ohio/Toledo Christian) was seventh in the long jump and fifth in the 100, sophomore Tim Gaal (Amanda, Ohio/Clearcreek) was second in the javelin, and senior Brian Gehle (Huntsville, Ohio/Indian Lake) was third in the long jump, fourth in the high jump and sixth in the pole vault.

For the women, sophomore Kelly Zilli (Dayton, Ohio/Kettering Alter) finished third in the 1500 and second in the 800, sophomore Kristen Mumper (Cincinnati, Ohio/Purcell Marian) finished eighth in the 100, eighth in the 200, sixth in the long jump and third in the triple jump, sophomore Geri Woessner (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) wound up third in the javelin and junior Erin Zayicek (Solon, Ohio/Solon) was fourth in the hammer throw.

4/24 @ Otterbein
4/27 @ Baldwin-Wallace
4/28 NCAC Multi @ Wooster

If it weren't for bad luck, the Tiger men's lacrosse team may have no luck at all. Wittenberg's losing streak hit five games last week with a defeat at nationally ranked Denison on Tuesday and a pair of frustrating home losses to Colorado College and Wheeling Jesuit over the weekend.

Nate Reed	Kyle Prussing

Against the Big Red, Wittenberg fell behind early and never caught up, getting shut out in the second half. Senior Nate Reed (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller) had a goal and an assist, while sophomore goaltender Kyle Prussing (New Concord, NH/Concord-Carlisle) had 18 saves against a Denison offensive barrage.

On Friday night, Wittenberg trailed visiting Colorado College 5-3 at halftime before the roof caved in. The Tigers were outscored 7-1 in a stunning third quarter and eventually succombed in this nonconference affair 13-5. The game, which included three assists by senior Alex Nichols (Phoenix, Md./Dulaney), was eventually called due to lightning in the area after a two-hour delay.

As if things couldn't get any worse, the Tigers were treated to a flashback to two earlier one-goal losses on Saturday against Wheeling Jesuit. The visiting Cardinals scored the winning goal in a 9-8 win with just 40 seconds remaining, spoiling another fine offensive effort by freshman Cory Essig (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) and a strong game in net from junior Tripp Way (Wayne, Pa./Radnor).

The Tigers, who have lost five games this season by three goals or less and three by a single goal, will attempt to rebound this week, but the rest of the schedule is very challenging. On Wednesday, Wittenberg travels to Ohio Wesleyan for a game against the nationally ranked Bishops. On Saturday, the Tigers will square off against Wooster in a conference game just two weeks after the Scots won a nonconference tilt between the two teams on a bizarre goal with just one second remaining. Next week, Kenyon comes calling for a nonconference game and then Ohio Wesleyan visits in the season finale.

Next:
4/24 @ Ohio Wesleyan, 4 p.m.
4/27 vs. Wooster, 1 p.m.

Cara Romanowski	Kate Williston

It was a big weekend for the Tiger women's lacrosse team, and when the dust settled following two games in 24 hours Wittenberg had one win and one loss to show for its efforts. Unfortunately, the loss was to Wooster on Saturday at Edwards-Maurer Field by an 11-7 count, pushing the Tigers out of contention for the top spot in the conference. Wooster and Denison are tied for the lead, while Wittenberg is currently alone in third place, two games off the pace heading into a big week in which the Tigers travel to Kenyon on Wednesday and Ohio Wesleyan on Sunday.

Against the Scots, Wittenberg fell behind 6-2 midway through the first half and couldn't quite catch up, pulling to within two goals on two occasions in the second half. Junior Cara Romanowski (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) continued her torrid scoring pace, netting four goals to spark the offense. But Wooster scored a couple of late goals in transition to account for the difference.

On Sunday, the Tigers rebounded for a 10-7 victory over visiting Indiana University (Pa.). Romanowski again led the team with three goals as the Tigers moved out to a 7-3 halftime lead and never looked back. Joining Romanowski in the scoring fray was sophomore Kate Williston (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster), who had two goals, and freshman Jenny Burns (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman), who also found the back of the net on two occasions.

Romanowski ranks second in the NCAC in scoring with 4.27 points per game and first in goals with 3.64 per outing.

Next:
4/24 @ Kenyon, 4:30 p.m.
4/28 @ Ohio Wesleyan, 2 p.m.

It wasn't the best team finish, but playing in another loaded field, the Tiger golf team put together a solid eighth place finish in the Wooster Invitational on Friday and Saturday.

Andy Bonar	Jesse Fyffe

The finish can be described as solid because the field included 15 quality teams, including national title contenders Ohio Wesleyan and Otterbein. The Tigers shot a two-day total of 629, a 318 on the first day and a 311 on the second. Only 19 strokes separated titlist Otterbein from eighth-place Wittenberg.

Freshman Andy Bonar (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) had his best finish of the season, and the best two-round total for a Tiger golfer in three years as he posted back-to-back 74s for a 148, which was good for a third-place tie, just four strokes off the lead. Junior Jesse Fyffe (Mansfield, Ohio/Senior) was next with a 157, junior Jonathan Orr (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon) posted a 158, sophomore Adam Knowlton (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) carded a 170 and junior Pat Reist (Hamilton, Ohio/Hamilton) rounded things out with a 173.

One more week of practice against a field of the best in the midwest and much of the NCAC at the Ohio Wesleyan Invitational. The 10 conference teams square off in Mount Vernon for the NCAC championship on May 3-4.

Next:
4/27-28 @ Ohio Wesleyan Invitational