SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – April 18, 2025 – Hiram nearly picked up a key conference victory against a 20-win Wittenberg team, falling 12-11 and 9-3 in an NCAC doubleheader on Friday evening at Carleton Davidson Stadium.
The two losses move Hiram to sixth place in the conference standings, with six NCAC games on the schedule to make up some ground and earn a berth in the conference tournament (awarded to top-four teams in year-end standings).
Game 1 Recap
Hiram latched onto a 9-0 lead through the first two innings, which included a pair of RBI singles from
Chaisson Marrs (2-run single in first, RBI single in second). With three hits in the game, Marrs now stands alone for the second-most hits in program history (183).
Wittenberg made its move in the fifth and sixth innings, scoring a combined nine runs during that span to level the score at 9-9. Rocco Royer came through for the home team, belting a three-run homer in the fifth and a game-tying RBI single in the sixth.
The Terriers answered on a
Tyler Fernandez RBI double and
John Bender RBI single in the eighth inning, carving out an 11-9 advantage. Wittenberg swiftly answered with a pair of solo home runs and an RBI double to regain a 12-11 lead, which held through the final out of the high-scoring affair.
Game 2 Recap
It was a different style of game in the second half of the doubleheader, with Hiram's
Nicolas Chernitsky allowing just two runs through the first five innings. Wittenberg eventually hung a crooked number on the scoreboard in the fourth inning to take a 6-0 lead, but Chernitsky still finished with a career-high eight strikeouts.
Hiram fought back and scored three runs in the seventh inning, with two runs coming around to score on an error and
Hal Walker Jr. singling in
Nate Thomas to cut the deficit in half, 6-3. Wittenberg immediately answered with three runs of its own, locking in enough insurance to seal the game.
What's Next
Hiram will return to non-conference play on Tuesday, when it hosts Penn State Behrend for a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. at Fishel Field in Hiram, Ohio.