| Bryan Robert's no-no is believed to be the first in modern Wabash baseball history. Wabash athletics photo |
Sophomore pitcher Bryan Roberts tossed a seven-inning no hitter Wednesday afternoon in a 4-0 win at Wittenberg. The Wabash College baseball team swept the Tigers with an 8-6 victory in the series finale.
Roberts struck out eight batters without surrendering a walk. Two Little Giant errors and a hit batsman prevented the perfect game for the sophomore righthander. Robert's no-no is believed to be the first in modern Wabash baseball history.
The host Tigers (6-14, 2-6) got their first of three base runners in the second inning when Timmy Bates reached on a hit batsman. Jace Barga reached on an error at third in the third inning. Casey Farnbauch reached base on an error at short stop in the fifth. Roberts retired the final six batters with four of his seven strikeouts to secure the win and no hitter.
Jared Wolfe provided the only runs the Little Giants would need for the win in the third inning with a two-run double to left to score Taylor Canter and Eric Chavez. Canter added an RBI single in the fourth innings. Wabash tacked on an extra run in the seventh after a double by Sean Roginski and a single by Cole Harlacher. The Little Giants finished with eight hits by eight different players in the contest.
Wabash took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning of game two. KJ Zelenika drove home the first run of the game on a fielder's choice. The Little Giants added to the excitement of the day by having David Oliger take home on a double steal for the second run of the inning.
The Tigers rallied for a run in the bottom of the first. Neither team scored until the fifth inning when Oliger drilled his 16th double of the year to bring Wolfe home after a leadoff single that got by the Wittenberg centerfielder, sending Wolfe to second. Zelenika followed with an RBI single to put Wabash in front 4-1.
Wittenberg kept the game close by adding two runs in the bottom of the fifth off starter Alex Dickey. The sophomore scattered seven hits over five innings along with three walks to earn his first win of the season. The Little Giants took advantage of three Wittenberg errors, plating four runs total including two on a single by Tyler Downing to jump in front 8-3. Wolfe drove a shot to the wall that bounced off the right fielder's glove over the fence to bring home two more runs in the inning.
The Tigers answered with three in the bottom of the sixth before Jensen Kirch and Michael Herrmann combined to shut the home team down for the remainder of the game.
Kirch worked three innings of two-hit ball with one walk and two strikeouts. Herrmann pitched the ninth inning, retiring all three batters he faced to earn his first save of the season.
Wolfe collected three of the Little Giants' eight hits in the game. Oliver added a pair of hits, as well. Wolfe, Zelenika, and Downing tallied two RBI apiece.
The two wins Wednesday, combined with a pair of victories Sunday over Wittenberg, puts Wabash (15-9, 6-2 NCAC) in an early race with Denison (4-0 NCAC) in the North Coast Athletic Conference West Division standings. The Little Giants play a trio of non-conference games over the next five days beginning with a doubleheader at home against MacMurray College at noon on Sunday. Wabash plays Cleary University at 4:30 p.m. Monday at home.