Yellow Jacket Baseball Drops HCAC Opener to Rose-Hulman

TERRE HAUTE, IND.  --  The Defiance College baseball team dropped a 4-0 decision against Rose-Hulman (Ind.) Instittute of Technology in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference opener in Terre Haute, Ind.

Rose-Hulman (6-5, 1-0 HCAC) scored all its runs in the span of three innings beginning with a run in the bottom of the third on a RBI-single that was set up by an earlier triple.  The Fightin' Engineers added another run in the fourth and crossed the plate two more times in the fifth to extend the lead to 4-0.  Defiance (5-4, 0-1 HCAC) threatened in the top of the sixth with bases loaded and no outs.  But an inning-ending triple play kept the Yellow Jackets from taking advantage and preserved the possible shutout for Rose-Hulman. 

DC had another excellent scoring opportunity in the seventh having a runner at every base for a second time, but the Engineer defense came up big again, getting the Jackets to hit into a double play to end the inning and holding DC scoreless.  The score remained the same heading into the top of the ninth.  Senior Chris Donese (Kettering/Fairmont) got himself into scoring position with a double following a lead-off flyout to begin the inning.  The Donese double would be the eighth hit in the game for the Jackets, but the game ended in back-to-back strikeouts, allowing the Engineers to preserve the 4-0 shutout.

Donese lead all hitters with three base knocks and finished three-of-four overall.  Also recording a mulit-hit game was fellow senior Joel Musser (Center Line, Mich./Center Line) who had two hits in three at-bats.  Junior Gary Levengood (Beverly Hills, Fla./Lecanto), sophomore Quinten Harrington (Sandusky/Perkins) and sophomore Zack Reed (Midland, Mich./Bullock Creek) each had a base hit and each turned in a one-of-three effort at the plate.

On the mound, sophomore Dave Blanch (Alliston, Ont./Banting Memorial) got the start and pitched five innings allowing four runs, three earned, on nine hits and struck out four batters.  He would also end up with the loss and is now 1-1 overall.  Sophomore Nick Watkins (Lima/Central Catholic) finished the game giving up no runs and just one hit, while striking out one batter.

Defiance will conclude the three-game series against Rose-Hulman tomorrow (Saturday, Mar. 21) with a pair of games with the first pitch of game one scheduled for noon in Terre Haute, Ind.