Jackets Suffer Doubleheader Sweep to Franklin

DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Yellow Jacket bats never got on track in Saturday's doubleheader against Franklin and the visiting Grizzlies exited with 9-1 and 6-1 victories to complete the series sweep. Defiance managed just one run on four hits in each game and only five runs in the entire three-game set.

Franklin scored early and often in the opener, getting to Nick Picciano (1-3) for eight runs in 2.1 innings of work to build a 9-1 lead through the first three innings.

That would be all of the scoring in the first game, as Ethan Salsbury finished the third and buzzed through the Grizzly lineup over the next four innings. The freshman southpaw sat down 12-straight Franklin batters at one point, before hitting a batter with two outs in the top of the seventh. Salsbury quickly retired the next batter and ended the game by holding Franklin to just one run on two hits in 4.2 innings of relief. Salsbury also recorded three strikeouts and did not walk a single hitter.

In the second game, Defiance used a two-out rally in the top of the first to take a 1-0 lead. Casey Kahsen started things with a two-out single to right field and Alex Timofeev doubled to center field to put DC on the board.

The Jackets would get just two more hits the rest of the way however, and Franklin took the lead for good with four runs in the top of the third. The Grizzlies sent nine men to the plate and combined four hits with a pair of Defiance errors to spark the rally.

Brad Timofeev (1-4) settled in from there and worked all nine innings for his second complete game outing of the week. The senior scattered 11 hits and gave up four earned runs in the loss.

Defiance (4-16, 1-6 HCAC) will be back in action on Wednesday when it plays at Ohio Northern at 4:00 pm.