TIFFIN – The Heidelberg University baseball team earned a walk-off win on Tuesday, defeating Wittenberg 4-3 in 11 innings. The Student Princes jumped ahead early with three in the first, but fell silent until extra innings, where they emerged victorious to earn a non-conference win in the battle of the Bergs.

With the win, Heidelberg improved to 15-19 on the year while Wittenberg fell to 9-22.

HU wasted no time getting on the board, as an RBI single by Derek Hug put the Student Princes up 1-0 early. After Hug stole second, Cory Jacobs followed suit with an RBI single of his own. After Wittenberg recorded the second out of the inning, Evan Long singled on a bunt to plate Jacobs, making it a 3-0 Heidelberg lead after the first.

Both teams were silent until the top of the third inning when the visiting Tigers scored an unearned run to cut the HU lead down to two.

Heidelberg stranded runners in scoring position in the third and fourth inning, and Wittenberg took advantage, scoring a pair in the top of the 6th to tie up the game at three.

The bullpens on both sides would then cruise all the way until the bottom of the ninth, but a leadoff double by Joe Walton was wasted as HU failed to score, sending the game to extra innings.

Both sides went quietly in the 10th, and a double play ball in the top of the 11th, sent the Student Princes to the plate with a chance to win.

After a leadoff single by Long, a sacrifice bunt by Joey Wenning moved Long into scoring position. After a strikeout to make two outs in the inning, Alex Manner would come through in the clutch, driving a single to left center to score long and deliver a win for the home crowd.

Long led the HU offense on the day with three hits while Adam Hershberger recorded a pair of singles.

Alex Simun was the starter on the mound for Heidelberg, but he did not get a decision in the game after turning in a quality start of six innings with six hits, three runs and just two earned.

Steve Huber threw three scoreless innings of relief before Anthony Hajdu (3-0) picked up the win, throwing a scoreless inning in both the 10th and 11th innings.

UP NEXT

Heidelberg will hit the road tomorrow, April 27th, for a non-conference doubleheader with Ohio Wesleyan. Game one of the twinbill is slated for a 3:00 p.m. start time.