A 3-0 shutout victory by Andrew Swart earned Wabash a trip the North Coast Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament next week. The Little Giants lost 7-1 in the nightcap to close at 50-year run at Mud Hollow Field.
Swart picked up his team-leading fourth victory, second shutout, and sixth complete game. The right-handed sophomore scattered five hits and three walks over seven innings while striking out five.
“Andrew (Swart) is an absolute competitor,” head coach Cory Stevens said. “He pitches well, he throws for strikes, he works out of the zone when he needs to. He battled all day today, giving us an outstanding effort.”
Wabash picked up a run in the third on a Brian Lares one-out triple and single by Tanner Coggins. Joe Johnson provided two insurance runs with a bases-clearing double in the sixth to score Chris Deig and PJ Tyson.
“Any player, one through nine in our order, can come up with a big hit. Today it was Joe Johnson. He had a great swing to give us a few insurance runs and some breathing room.”
The Little Giants picked up eight hits against Witt starter Bobby Ciucki, who took the loss in a complete game outing. Coggins was the only Wabash player to manage to get two hits in the game. Johnson, Lares, Dieg, Tyson,
Wabash took an early 1-0 lead in game two when Coggins singled home Deig in the first inning. The Tigers evened the game at 1-1 in the third before breaking the contest open with three runs in the fourth. Wittenberg added another three in the fifth. Freshman Chris Widup took the loss for Wabash, pitching four innings of six-hit, four-run baseball. He walked one and struck out three. Brian Van Duyn gave up only one earned run in one inning of relief on four hits. Luke Zinsmaster pitched the final two innings, surrendering one hit and one walk with two K’s.
The final game against Wittenberg was be the last for the Little Giants, who will play in a new stadium next season. Wabash closed the field the same way it was opened. The Little Giants split a doubleheader with Wheaton on April 29, 1961, losing 5-1 in the first game before picking up a 6-5 win in game two.
The Little Giants earn the number two seed from the NCAC West Division with a 9-7 league record. Wabash tied with Wittenberg and Ohio Wesleyan in the final standings, but took three of four games in both series to win the tiebreaker. The Little Giants will play the top-seeded team from the NCAC East Division Thursday in Chillicothe, Ohio. Game times will be decided later this week.
Game one - Wabash 3, Wittenberg 0 (
box score)
Game two - Wittenberg 7, Wabash 1 (
box score)
