Jackets drop final midweek game of season vs Manchester

DEFIANCE, Ohio - The Defiance College Yellow Jackets Baseball team fell behind early Tuesday night and were unable to recover the deficit, falling to Manchester 23-9 in the final midweek game of the season.

The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference-leading Spartans jumped out to an 8-0 lead with a big first inning and the Yellow Jackets were unable to close the gap despite finishing the game tied with Manchester in the hit column at 14 hits a piece.

Defiance struggled with two errors, two hit by pitches and a balk in the first inning that helped to propel the big lead off inning for Manchester. The Spartans first two runs proved to be earned runs in the inning, but the final six came unearned after Defiance errors allowed the inning to carry on and dig too big of a hole for Defiance to crawl out of.

While the Yellow Jackets looked to be out of it from the beginning, DC put up a fight, matching the Spartans in the hit column while putting up nine runs in the game, tied for the fourth most runs against the defending HCAC Champions all season.

In the first inning, Darin Waterman came up with a two-out double and then scored on a Ben Weber single in the next at bat.

Defiance then led off the second inning with a pair of singles from Pat Masopust and Joel Musser, but a hard it line drive went straight to the first basemen two batters later and Defiance was doubled off first to end a threatening inning.

Neither team scored until the Yellow Jackets gave up two runs in the fourth inning and came back to answer with two runs of their own. Manchester went up 10-1 with four straight at bats with balls in play that included two doubles and a single.

Defiance answered with a two out rally in the bottom half of the inning as back-to-back singles from Matt Staels and Chris Donese scored Gary Levengood and then Musser, who reached earlier in the inning.

Manchester followed back with another big inning that was fueled by Yellow Jackets mistakes. Defiance had two more errors that extended the Spartans inning, which included six run, only one earned. Manchester scored the first two runs on a single and then followed it up three batters later with a pop out to shallow right field that turned into a sacrifice fly and a second run on a throwing error after the out. Later in the inning, MU scored two more on a double to go up 16-3 on Defiance.

In the sixth inning, Defiance fell behind even farther to Manchester as the Spartans hit their second three-run home run of the night to go up 19-3 on the Purple and Gold.

After a scoreless sixth and seventh innings, Defiance added its fourth run of the game with a Joe Kudela single that scored Quinten Harrington.

Manchester responded with four runs on just one hit in the top of the ninth as DC pitching allowed two hit batters and a walk to start off the inning.

Defiance didn't quit, as the Yellow Jackets put their biggest inning of the night on the scoreboard in the ninth inning. The Yellow Jackets batted around in the inning to score nine runs.Brandon Riley picked up an RBI on a ground out to score the first run of Tre DeVoe.

Trey Trumpower then scored on an Ian Burkhart single. Two batters later, Kudela picked up a two RBU single that scored Burkhart and Royce Laurendeau. Defiance's final run came from Tyler Sloan, whose single through the left side scored Kudela.

In total, 12 Yellow Jackets picked up hits in the game. Waterman and substitute Kudela each had two hits. Kudela finished the game 2-for-2 with three RBIs.

Cody Wiggins and Trumpower had the two walks for Defiance in the game.

Nick Watkins picked up the loss for DC after giving up 10 runs in four innings. However, just four of the 10 runs were considered earned in the game.Matt Goodpaster, Drew Weber, Nick Ewalt, and Dominic Holutiak each picked scoreless outings for Defiance out of the bullpen.

Defiance gave up just 12 earned runs in the game, but the Yellow Jackets also had seven hit batters and nine walks to just five strikeouts.

The Yellow Jackets bats continued to put balls in play Tuesday night, striking out just three times in the game.

DC will return to action this Friday with its final road series of the season at Franklin. Game one between the Yellow Jackets and Grizzlies is scheduled for a 4 p.m. first pitch on Friday in Franklin, Ind.