Baseball loses two to Transy in first home games since May 2019

DEFIANCE, Ohio – On Sunday, the Defiance College baseball team opened the home portion of its 2021 schedule by losing both ends of a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader, 8-4 and 9-4, to the Transylvania University Pioneers at Craig A. Rutter Field.

The last time Defiance played at Rutter Field was on April 23, 2019 when it posted a 13-7 victory over Capital University. The Yellow Jackets' last true home contests were held at Defiance High School on May 5, 2019 as DC swept an HCAC twinbill with Mount St. Joseph University.

In Sunday's opener, Transylvania built a 5-0 lead but Defiance sliced its deficit to two by scoring once in the fourth inning and twice in the fifth. The Pioneers upped their advantage to 8-3 with a three-run sixth before the Yellow Jackets concluded the scoring with a run in the bottom of the seventh.

Transy finished with 12 hits to DC's four. Defiance committed four of the game's six errors that led to five unearned runs for TU.

At the plate for the Yellow Jackets, Michael Reese was 2 for 2 with a double, three runs batted in and two walks, including one intentional. Nate Kaffenbarger stroked an RBI double while freshman Trent Murdock had the hosts' other hit.

Reese also got the start on the mound for DC, but took the loss after allowing three earned runs with four strikeouts and two walks over 5.1 innings. Lane Good pitched 3.2 scoreless innings, striking out four with no bases on balls.

In a cleaner-played second contest, each squad tallied a run in the third inning before Transylvania surged ahead with three runs in the fourth. Defiance rallied to tie the game at 4-4 after five innings but the Pioneers broke the deadlock with a three-run seventh and added two more in the eighth.

The Yellow Jackets, who did not make an error, were outhit by a 14-7 margin. Each team had three extra-base hits while DC left 11 runners on base and Transy nine.

Reese again paced the DC offense by going 2 for 4 with a double, run scored and another intentional walk while Kaffenbarger provided a hit, walk, run scored and two RBIs. Colin Minner chipped in with a two-run double while Lucas Thomeier also doubled.

Defiance's starting pitcher, Daniel Tomalak, went four innings with two strikeouts and one walk before Kendall Duval, who suffered the loss, struck out one with no walks in two innings of work. Tyler Hines was the Jackets' fifth and final hurler, and threw a scoreless ninth.

DC slips to 2-6 overall and in the HCAC while Transylvania moves to 5-2. Next up on Defiance's schedule is a conference doubleheader at Manchester University on Saturday at 12 p.m.