Junior pitcher Bill Goff (Brownsburg, IN/Brownsburg) struck out 12 Wittenberg batters to earn a complete game victory in Wabash’s 4-1 win over the Tigers in North Coast Athletic Conference Western Division baseball on Saturday afternoon. The victory brought the weekend series even at 1-1 after the Little Giants lost the opening game 7-2.
Goff threw seven innings, holding the Tigers to only one run on four hits. He walked seven and had one wild pitch, the only play that allowed Wittenberg to score.
The Little Giants trailed 1-0 after the Tigers scored on the wild pitch in the third inning. Junior Tyler Nance (Celebration, FL/Celebration) opened the fifth inning with a single up the middle, then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Scott Hamilton (FR/Indianapolis, IN/Bishop Chatard). A single by Nick George (JR/Lafayette, IN/Harrison) put runners on the corners for the Little Giants. Sophomore outfielder Phil Ramos (Zillah, WA/Zillah) came through with an RBI single, scoring Nance and moving George to second. Goff drew a walk to load the bases. A hit batsman by sophomore Chris Sides (Brownsburg, IN/Brownsburg) brought the eventual game-winning run across. A fielder’s choice by Mike Mack (SR/Butler, IN/Eastside) and a passed ball added two more insurance runs for Wabash, giving Goff an extra cushion
The Tigers threatened throughout the contest, stranding 10 baserunners in the game. Wittenberg was threatening in the top half of the fourth, loading the bases with two outs. Tiger shortstop laced a shot toward the leftcenterfield gap, but his counterpart at short, Wabash junior Danny Schubert (Lebanon, IL/Lebanon) leaped in the air to snag the shot and end the Tigers’ inning.
Nance was 2-for-2 for Wabash in the game. George added two hits in four at bats.
The Little Giants fell behind quickly in game one with the Tigers when Wittenberg’s Matt Foster blasted a two-run homer to left centerfield in the first inning. The Tigers added three runs in the fifth and two more in the seventh. Wabash scrapped for a run in the sixth after being no hit through five innings. Ramos broke up the no-no with a double to left center in the sixth and came around to score two batters later on a sacrifice fly by Goff. Wabash added another run in the seventh on a sac fly by George, scoring senior Dan Matusik (Highland, IN/Highland).
Ramos, Schubert, and Justin VanderIest (SO/Hudsonville, MI/Hudsonville) had the only hits for Wabash in game one.
Wabash moves to 10-9 overall, 1-1 in the NCAC West with the split. The two teams will conclude the weekend set on Sunday with a doubleheader at Mud Hollow Field. The first pitch of game one is set for noon.
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