Creek Pitches Complete Game in Win Against Manchester

DEFIANCE, OHIO  --  Sophomore Paris Creek (Bryan) pitched a complete game as the Defiance College baseball team defeated Manchester (Ind.) University, 8-2, in a single Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference game and claimed the season series.

Offensively, Defiance put up 12 hits with four of those hits coming off the bat of senior Zack Reed (Midland, Mich./Bullock Creek) who went four-of-five overall in addition to scoring a run and driving in two runs.  Sophomore Tanner Stippich (Lima/Allen East) also had an impressive day at the plate batting three-of-four with a run scored and two RBI.

Fellow sophomore Michael Gilliland (Napoleon) also had a multi-hit game going two-of-three with a run scored and RBI.  In addition, senior Quinten Harrington (Sandusky/Perkins) had a hit in four at-bats and also scored a run and had two RBI.

Creek pitched all nine innings for the Yellow Jackets to claim his third win of the season (3-1 overall).  He allowed just the two runs, none earned, on seven hits and struck out two batters.

Defiance (12-21, 9-11 HCAC) struck early scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning, all with two outs.  Highlighting the inning, was a two-run double by Harrington with runners on second and third base.  Stippich then drove in Harrington during the very next at-bat with a double of his own and would later cross home plate himself off of a single by Gilliland with bases loaded.

Manchester (15-17, 12-8 HCAC) would have to rely on its bullpen the rest of the way as the Jackets chased the Spartan starter in the first inning.  The Spartans looked to narrow the gap with single runs in the top of the third and fourth innings to make the score 4-2.

DC then scored four straight runs, beginning with a run of its own in the bottom half of the fourth that came on a RBI single by Reed.  The Yellow Jackets went on to plate runs in the fifth, sixth and eighth innings thanks to another RBI base hit by Stippich, a sacrifice fly by freshman Everett Kissel (Defiance/Tinora) and another RBI hit by Reed en route to the 8-2 final in favor of Defiance.

The Jackets are scheduled to begin a three-game series against Mount St. Joseph University this Friday-Saturday, Apr. 28-29 in Cincinnati, Ohio.  The two teams are slated to play a single game on Friday with the first pitch set for 4 p.m.