DC Falls to Transylvania in Series Finale

LEXINGTON, KY.  --  The Defiance College baseball team lost to Transylvania (Ky.) University, 6-1, in the final game of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference series in Lexington, Ky., but after yesterday's sweep, the Yellow Jackets would still come away with a 2-1 overall series victory.

Transylvania (8-17, 5-10 HCAC) scored six unanswered runs before Defiance (11-11, 6-8 HCAC) scored its only run in the eighth inning.  The Pioneers got on the board early with their first run in the bottom of the second inning on a groundout with runners on second and third base.  Transylvania went on to add another run in the fourth, two in the fifth and its final two runs in the seventh to lead 6-0.  The Yellow Jackets' lone run came off the bat of senior Chris Donese (Kettering/Fairmont) with runners on first and second.  The run came with two outs, however, and DC would hit into the inning-ending out before plating any additional runs.  DC threatened again late in the ninth inning, but could not get any closer before the Pioneers got the final out and went on to win by the final of 6-1.

Defiance had six hits in the game, all from different players.  Donese finished the game, one-of-four in addition to the RBI.  Junior Ryan Kohlhofer (Walbridge/Lake) scored the Jackets' only run despite finishing without a hit on the day (0-for-3 overall).  Senior Joel Musser (Center Line, Mich./Center Line), junior Ben Weber (Troy/Lehman Catholic), junior Gary Levengood (Beverly Hills, Fla./Lecanto), sophomore Tre' DeVoe (Allen Park, Mich./Allen Park) and sophomore Quinten Harrington (Sandusky/Perkins) all went one-for-four.

Senior Aaron Grasing (Carmel, Calif./Carmel) started the game and pitched six complete innings giving up six runs, four earned, on nine hits and had one strikeout.  Sophomore Nick Watkins (Lima/Central Catholic) and freshman Jacob Green (Defiance) both pitched an inning of relief.  Watkins gave up only a hit in his inning and had two strikeouts.  Green pitched a perfect inning allowing no runs or hits and had one strikeout.

Defiance is scheduled to host HCAC opponent Bluffton University in a single nine-inning game on Tuesday, Apr. 14 at Craig A. Rutter Field.  The first pitch is scheduled for 4:15 p.m.