Baseball Loses a Pair Against Earlham (Ind.)

DEFIANCE, OHIO  --  The Defiance College baseball team lost both games against Earlham (Ind.) College, 7-4 and 7-1, in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference action at Craig A. Rutter Field.

Picking up where they left off yesterday in the second game of a scheduled doubleheader, Defiance (15-17, 10-13 HCAC) and Earlham (24-10, 13-9 HCAC) played the final five innings of its susspended game.  Already leading by a run, the Quakers added a pair of runs in the top of the sixth inning to make the score 3-0.  The Yellow Jackets got the runs back in the bottom of the frame crossing the plate twice on a RBI singles by junior Ben Weber (Troy/Lehman Catholic) and sophomore Quinten Harrington (Sandusky/Perkins) cutting the deficit back to a run, 3-2.  Earlham kept the offense going in the seventh with three runs to extend the lead to 6-2.  DC tallied a run of its own in its half of the inning thanks to a RBi single by senior Chris Donese (Kettering/Fairmont).  The Quakers then added an insurance run in the top of the ninth on a fielding error to make it a 7-3 ball game.  In the Jackets' final at-bats, DC scored a run also on a defensive error.  But the lone run would be all the scoring for DC in the inning as Earlham went on to post the 7-4 final.

Defiance had eight hits in the game led by senior Joel Musser (Center Line, Mich./Center Line) who finished three-of-five with a pair of runs scored.  Donese finished the game one-of-four with a run scored and RBI.  Weber, Harrington, junior Chirs Levengood (Beverly Hills, Fla./Lecanto) and junior Ryan Kohlhofer (Walbridge/Lake) all recorded a hit.  Weber and Harrington both had RBIs, while Kohlhofer also added a run scored.

Sophomore Matt Clark (Sandusky/Perkins) started the game on the mound for DC and pitched six-and-a-third innings allowing six runs, one earned, on eight hits and struck out two batters.  Fellow sophomore Nick Watkins (Lima/Central Catholic) pitched the final two and two-thirds innings and gave up one unearned run on three hits and had four strikeouts.

In the series finale, Earlham struck early with two runs in the top of the first inning to take the 2-0 lead.  The Quakers then went to add a run in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to extend the lead to 5-0.  Defiance got on the board in the bottom of the seventh when Musser connected on a RBI double to narrow the gap to 5-1.  But Earlham rounded out the scoring platting two more runs in the eighth on a two-RBI single to go on to the 7-1 final.

Defiance had one multi-hitter in the game in Musser who went two-of-four with a RBI.  Five other Yellow Jacket players each recorded a hit.  Kohlhofer was credited with scoring the team's only run and also had one hit in three at-bats.

On the mound, senior Aaron Grasing (Carmel, Calif./Carmel) started the game and pitched six-and-a-third innings, but would end up with the loss and falls to 3-3 overall for the season.  He gave up five runs, four earned, on eight hits and had one strikeout.  Freshman Jacob Green (Defiance) pitched an inning and two-thirds in relief allowing two runs, none earned and one hit to go along with two strikeouts.  Senior Matt Goodpaster (Kettering/Fairmont) finished the game, pitching an inning allowing no runs and one hit.

Defiance is scheduled to host Manchester (Ind.) University on Tuesday, Apr. 28