Defiance Struggles in Season-Opening Defeat

DANVILLE, Ky. – The 2009 season got off to a very rocky start on Friday evening for the Defiance College baseball team. The Jackets racked up nine errors in their first time out and fell by a 23-5 score at Centre.

Defiance struck first by starting the second inning with singles from Tim Pitro and Aaron Stewart, before a Keith Wade safety brought Pitro in for the first run of the contest. DC then added a second tally on a Centre fielding blunder, which allowed Stewart to cross the plate for the 2-0 lead.

The two-run lead was immediately turned into a two-run deficit when Centre capitalized on a pair of errors by Defiance in the bottom half of the inning. Doubles from Ben Gates and Pitro narrowed the margin to 4-3 in the third and Michael Dushane's double plated Casey Kahsen in the fourth to knot the score at 4-4.

It would be all Centre from there however, as the floodgates opened and the host team pushed across five runs in the bottom of the fourth. The Colonels then poured on 14 more runs in the next three innings and coasted to the 23-5 victory.

DC did well with the sticks, putting five runs on the board on nine hits, while coaxing eight walks. Seven different Jackets collected a hit, while Pitro led the way with a 3-5 performance. The junior also scored a pair of runs and drove in another.

Defiance struggled in every other aspect however, as seven players made at least one error to give Centre numerous extra scoring opportunities. The DC pitching did not hold up to the added pressure, as four pitchers combined to yield 18 hits, six walks and four hit batters in the eight innings.

The Jackets (0-1) will get another taste of early-season action on Saturday, when they play at Maryville (8-5) at 1:00 pm.