Miller’s Monster Game Not Enough for Jackets at Anderson

ANDERSON, Ind. – The Defiance College softball team traveled to Anderson University for a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference showdown on Saturday afternoon. The Jackets narrowly lost game one by a score of 7-5 and dropped the second of the doubleheader 14-0.

Junior outfielder Katie Miller did all she could in game one to help DC get a win, unfortunately, the team came up just short. Miller and the Jackets got their bats going early as Jessica Mandula led off the first with a single and Aubrie Ridinger sacrificed the senior to second base. Miller stepped up to the plate and laced a two-out double for the game's first run. The junior then scored on a Stephanie Esquibel base knock to give Defiance a 2-0 lead.

The Ravens did not waste any time in getting on the board and cutting the deficit, as Anderson scored one run in the first, one in the second and two in the third for a 4-2 lead after three innings.

After the Ravens tacked on another run in the bottom of the fourth, the Jackets found themselves trailing 5-2. It remained this score until the top half of the seventh and final inning. The Purple and Gold managed to get a Ridinger two-out single followed by a Jordan Sawmiller walk to set the table for Miller, who once again came up with a big hit. Miller launched her first homerun of the season to tie the game at 5-5 and give the Jackets new life. The homerun was the junior's season-high third hit of the game and totaled four runs batted in and two runs scored for Miller.

Despite Miller's late-game heroics, DC was unable to send the game into extra innings. Anderson's Natalie Moorehouse hit a two-run walk-off homerun to give the Ravens a 7-5 victory.

The Yellow Jackets were unable to bounce back in game two of the doubleheader. Both teams were scoreless heading into the bottom of the third inning, and then Anderson's offense erupted. The Ravens scored 14 runs in the bottom of the frame and went on to win by a score of 14-0.

The losses drop Defiance's HCAC record to 1-3 on the season. The Jackets' will next take the field on Tuesday, April 3 as the team travels to Olivet College for an afternoon doubleheader. The first pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.