Yellow Jackets Beat Taylor

UPLAND, IND.  --  After being named the HCAC "Hitter of the Week," junior Zack Reed (Midland, Mich./Bullock Creek) continued his impressive offensive play with two hits, two runs scored and four runs batted in to help lead the Defiance College baseball team past Taylor (Ind.) University, 8-6, in a non-conference single game in Upland, Ind.

Reed's two hits were part of 10 hits DC had as a team on the day.  Reed finished two-of-four overall to go along with his two runs and four RBI.  Senior Ryan Kohlhofer (Walbridge/Lake) also had a strong day offensively with two hits in five attempts with a run and two RBI.  Freshmen Tanner Stippich (Lima/Allen East) and Michael Gilliland (Napoleon) also had multiple hits and both finished two-of-four overall.  Stippich also scored a pair of runs and Gilliland had one run scored.

The game remained scoreless until the second inning when both teams tallied three runs.  Defiance's (6-3) runs came on a RBI-triple by Reed and a two-run homerun by Kohlhofer in the very next at-bat to take the lead.  But Taylor (13-7) evened the score with its three runs in the bottom half of the inning making the score 3-3.

The Trojans took the lead in the third with a run on a RBI-single with runners on first and second base for a 4-3 advantage.  Taylor tacked on yet another run in the bottom of the fifth to extend its lead to 5-3.  The difference maker came in the top of the sixth when DC crossed homeplate four times that included a base-clearing double by Reed with bases loaded.  Reed later came around to score on a wild pitch following a stolen base that put him 90 feet away and led to a 7-5 margin for Defiance.

Taylor crept closer in the eighth with a run to make it a 7-6 ballgame.  But DC answered the run with a score of its own in the top of the ninth thanks to a bases loaded fielder's choice to add an insurance run, 8-6.  The Jackets began the bottom of the ninth with back-to-back outs defensively against the Trojans.  Following a single by Taylor, Defiance recorded the game-ending out on a flyout to claim the two-run victory, 8-6.

Junior Nick Peters (Macomb, Mich./Eisenhower) started on the mound for DC and pitched three innings allowing four runs on six hits and had one strikeout to end with a no decision.  Sophomore Cody Nelson (Clayton, Mich./Hudson) came on to pitch four-and-a-third innings in relief and gave up two runs on six hits and also had one strikeout.  He would end up as a the pitcher of record and posted his second win of the season (2-0 overall).  Fellow sophomore Jacob Green (Defiance) pitched the final inning and two-thirds to preserve the win and claim his first save of the year after allowing no runs on two hits to go along with a pair of strikeouts.

Defiance is scheduled to host Albion (Mich.) College in a non-conference doubleheader on Saturday, Mar. 19 in the home opener at Craig A. Rutter Field.  The first game is slated to begin at 1 p.m.