WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Tiffin baseball improved to 5-0 on the season with a pair of wins on Sunday, defeating USciences 3-2 and Gannon 3-1 to kick off the spring break slate.
The first game was a pitcher's duel to begin, with neither team scoring until the fifth inning. USciences got on the board first, picking up unearned runs in both the fifth and sixth on a pair of miscues by the Dragons.
Tiffin answered back with a run in the bottom of the sixth on a Nick Whetnall RBI single and evened things back up at two with a Kyle Vance RBI single in the seventh. In the bottom of the eighth, Whetnall led off with a single and promptly stole second to put the go-ahead run in scoring position with no outs. However, the next two Dragons recorded outs that did not allow Whetnall to advance. Tiffin was then given a gift by USciences, though, as back-to-back passed balls sent Whetnall across the plate to give the Dragons a 3-2 lead.
Alan Meadows, who had entered in the top of the eighth and spun a scoreless frame, was able to work around the first two batters reaching base on a single and an error to retire three in a row and shut the door on USciences. Meadows earned the win for his second of the year, finishing with three strikeouts.
Michael Ross got the start for Tiffin, going seven strong innings with two unearned runs allowed, no walks, and 10 strikeouts. Zach Campbell went 3-4 from the plate with a run scored, while Whetnall and Danny Donnelly both recorded two hits.
Game two was also low-scoring, as Tiffin's Michael Boswell tossed a gem, going seven innings with one run allowed and six strikeouts. Cole Maxwell pitched a scoreless eighth for the Dragons, while Cody Orr came in from his center field position to earn the save with a scoreless ninth.
The Dragons picked up their runs in the third and ninth innings, with the first two coming on a wild play in the top of the third. With the bases loaded and one out, Nich Green bounced a potential double-play ball to shortstop but the second baseman, after retiring Campbell at second, committed an error that allowed two runs to score before Green was caught between first and second for the final out of the inning.
In the ninth, it was Hunter Havekost that added an insurance run for Tiffin with an RBI single that scored Whetnall.
Tiffin continues their spring break games with a matchup against Wilmington (Del.) tomorrow at 1:30 p.m.