Southern Split for Baseball Keeps Postseason Push Alive

HANOVER, IND. - Through a rainy day in southern Indiana the Defiance College baseball team battled to a double header split with the Hanover Panthers on Saturday afternoon. 

Garrett Sierra (Defiance) landed a double through the left side in the first at bat of game one before Michael Gilliland (Napoleon) drove him home to open the scoring. 

After a scoreless second inning, Ben Bucklew (Archbold) cranked another home run out of left field, his fourth of the season. 

Six straight score free outings for DC saw Hanover take a 3-2 lead in the sixth inning to steal game one. 

In similar fashion, Defiance jumped to a 1-0 lead early in game two. Troy Konwinski (Allen Park, Mich. / Allen Park) hit his seventh home run of the year.

A huge sixth inning propelled DC forward. After Gilliland singled, Konwinski hit yet another home run, his eighth of the season. The homer moved him into a tie for third in the DC single season record book as well as a tie for fourth in the career home runs chart.

Lucas Thomeier (Wickliffe) singled to center to bring home Nate Kaffenbarger to tie the game 4-4 after six. 

With the game still tied, an an eighth inning awaiting, Michael Reese (Constantine, Mich. / Constantine) put his name in the home run conversation, launching one out of left to give DC the winning run. 

Jack Powell (Commerce Twp., Mich / Walled Lake Northern) picked up the victory in game two for Defiance, moving to 3-0 on the season. 

With the HCAC split, Defiance moves to 17-14-1 on the season with a 6-8 conference mark. DC currently sits in sevent place in the HCAC as they continue the push to the conference tournament.