The Tiger softball team concluded the 2002 season on a down note last Tuesday, falling at Capital twice. A scheduled doubleheader against Otterbein on Wednesday was cancelled due to a conflict with the Cardinals' Ohio Athletic Conference tournament.

The softball All-NCAC team will be announced later this week, and a press release will follow shortly thereafter. The Tigers finished sixth in the NCAC, which was won for the second straight year by Denison last weekend.

The Tiger softball team knew it had a difficult task to advance to the annual NCAC Tournament, especially after losing several players to injury early in the season. Last week, the Tigers put up a valiant fight against the top two teams in the conference, but they weren't able to win any of four games against Denison and Wooster and were thus eliminated from the tourney, which includes just four teams. Wittenberg concludes the 2002 NCAC competition in sixth place.

On Tuesday, first-place Denison swept Wittenberg 7-0 and 5-4. In the opener, the Tigers managed just one base hit against last year's NCAC Player of the Year. In the nightcap, freshman Norah Gillam (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield), junior Beth Walters (Columbus, Ohio/DeSales) and freshman Christy Cartaya (Mason, Ohio/Mt. Notre Dame) each collected two hits, but a late rally fell just short in a one-run defeat. It was the fifth time Wittenberg had lost by one run this season.

On Saturday, the Tigers' hopes of advancing were permanently dashed by visiting Wooster. Wittenberg was no-hit in the opener, spoiling a fine pitching performance by Gillam. In the second game, another solid showing on the mount by Cartaya was wasted as the Tigers allowed five runs in the seventh inning to lose 7-4. Walters was the offensive star with two hits and three RBI on the day.

The season wraps up this week with a road game at Capital on Tuesday.

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.

Walters Schneider

It hasn't been the kind of start that the Tigers had hoped for, but there is a lot of softball yet to be played in 2002 - hopefully in warmer temperatures, under sunnier skies and with a team that finally begins to click.  The Tigers went 5-4-1 in Florida earlier this month but suffered a major blow when freshman Jen Fleming (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne)went down in the first game of the year with a broken leg. She was expected to be a major contributor, and losing her for the year dropped the team down to just 12 healthy players.   Since returning from the trip, the Tigers have been having a tough time, especially on the mound, as opponents are batting .285 against Wittenberg pitchers and have collected 119 hits in just 103 innings. Offensively, the Tigers are scoring some runs, six more than their opponents overall,and have two regulars hitting better than .300.  Leading the charge with the bat has been junior centerfielder Beth Walters (Westerville, Ohio/DeSales), who is hitting a sizzling .457 in 16 starts. She leads the team with two home runs, 12 runs batted in, 33 total bases and six doubles. Senior shortstop Christy Schneider (Fairfield,Ohio/Fairfield) has also been hot of late, raising her batting average to .333 over the weekend in losses to Albion and Adrian. Schneider, who bats leadoff, tops the squad in runs with 20 and is tied for the team lead in doubles with six.

Next:
3/27 @ Thomas More, 3 p.m.
3/30 vs. Defiance, 1 p.m.

After a disappointing fourth-place finish in 2001, the Wittenberg softball team is hoping to bring the NCAC championship back to Springfield. The Tigers will be without two Great Lakes All-Region/All-NCAC players due to graduation, but Head Coach Becky Hall, who has a career record of 73-49 in four seasons at Wittenberg, is optimistic about this year's youthful but promising team.

The Tigers return just five players from last year's roster, but they make up the core of a solid team. Heading the list is a healthy Christy Schneider (Cincinnati, Ohio/Fairfield), who enters her senior season back at the shortstop position after an injury-plagued junior year that forced a move to second base. Junior Beth Walters (Westerville, Ohio/Columbus St. Francis DeSales) also returns and moves over to the critical centerfield position.

In addition, sophomore pitcher/utility Carmen Montgomery (Springfield, Ohio/Southeastern) figures to be the team's ace on the mound again in 2001 after finishing with an outstanding 17-8 record, 2.69 earned run average and 170.2 innings pitched. Also back is the catching tandem of Daena Sisk (South Bend, Ind./Marian) and Kristen Hillebrand (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley).

Things get started for the Tigers in Ft. Myers, Fla. next week with nine games in five days. Their home opener is slated for Monday, March 18 against Cumberland.
Next:
3/10 vs. Drew @ Ft. Myers, Fla.