Baseball drops HCAC games at Earlham

RICHMOND, Indiana – In Friday's twi-night doubleheader on the road, the Defiance College baseball squad dropped Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference games, 11-1 and 8-1, to the Earlham College Quakers on the turf at Randal R. Sadler Stadium.

Earlham built a 4-0 lead in the opener before each team scored once in the third inning. The Quakers tacked on three runs in the fourth and a single run in the sixth for a 9-1 advantage. EC added a pair of runs in the eighth inning to conclude the scoring.

Defiance was outhit by a 15-3 margin and made four errors. The hosts, who did not commit an error, totaled eight stolen bases and five extra-base hits, including a home run.     

Lane Good, Colin Minner and Lucas Thomeier – seniors who are set to graduate on Saturday – each singled for the Yellow Jackets. Minner had DC's lone run batted in while Good also reached base on a walk.

Defiance's starting and losing pitcher, Daniel Tomalak, struck out two over four innings. Tyler Hines tossed 3.1 innings in relief, allowing three hits and one earned run with four strikeouts and a pair of walks.

Under the lights in the second contest, Earlham led 5-0 after tallying four runs in the second inning and one run in the fourth. A two-run seventh inning put the Quakers ahead, 7-0, before each squad picked up a run in the eighth.

EC ended with 13 of the game's 20 hits and was guilty of four of the five errors. Earlham stroked four doubles and two triples and each club left 11 runners on base.

Zach Johnson and Michael Reese, more seniors to graduate on Saturday, paced the Yellow Jackets' offense. Johnson laced an RBI double while Reese went 1 for 3 with a walk and run scored.

For DC, Good struck out three and walked two in pitching 6.1 innings, and took the loss. Jack Powell, another senior to pick up his diploma on Saturday, recorded four strikeouts with a walk over the final 1.2 innings.

Defiance is 6-31 overall and in the HCAC while the Quakers move to 20-17. The Jackets are slated to host a twinbill versus conference rival Bluffton University and celebrate Senior Day at Defiance High School on Sunday. The first game is scheduled at 1 p.m. with 14 DC seniors to be honored before the second contest.