HIRAM, Ohio – March 29, 2024 – Hiram opened its conference slate with a pair of losses to Wittenberg on Friday afternoon at Fishel Field (18-15 in Game 1 | 15-8 in Game 2).
High winds blowing out toward the outfield fences called for more offense; Hiram had scored 14 runs – including four long balls – in a loss to Chatham on Thursday, and continued that power surge against an opponent that went 14-2 in NCAC play last season.
Game 1 Recap
There was a pendulum of momentum swinging in both teams' favor in Game 1, with Wittenberg leading 9-2 before Hiram leveled the score at 11-1. The lead would change another two times before the Tigers pulled away with two insurance runs in the ninth inning.
Tyler Fernandez hit his third home run in a span of 24 hours to open the scoring for the Terriers, while
John Bender launched his second long ball of the season to cut the deficit to 16-15. Bender finished the day with a career-high five RBI, while
Matthew Trimble,
Ethan Lyke and Fernandez each had a trio of hits in the high-scoring affair.
Cody Horvath allowed just one hit in 2.2 innings of quality relief, but took the hard-luck loss despite providing Hiram with some needed length out of the 'pen.
Game 2 Recap
A similar type of game ensued in the latter half of the doubleheader, with Hiram leading 6-0 and Wittenberg eventually clawing its way back to take an 8-6 lead. Half of the Terriers' early offense came in the form of a three-run homer off the bat of
Ben Yoder, who recorded his first career home run.
Evan Fairbanks lifted his team out of a defeat in the ninth inning, as the team was down to its last out while facing the two-run deficit in the ninth inning. The senior took advantage of the momentum, blasting a game-tying, two-run homer to dead center field to score Trimble and even the score at 8-8 to force extra innings.
Wittenberg would score seven runs in the tenth inning – all of which were unearned runs – to take control of the game and seal the conference win.
What's Next
Hiram will take the rest of the weekend off before returning to the diamond on Tuesday for a road doubleheader against Oberlin at Dill Field. First pitch for Game 1 is slated for 12 p.m.
