Yellow Jackets fall to Rose in HCAC opening doubleheader

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Defiance College Yellow Jackets Softball team fell to Rose-Hulman Saturday in a double header 7-3 and 8-6 to open up the HCAC schedule.

The Yellow Jackets (3-6, 0-2 HCAC) found themselves on the wrong side of a pair of late rallies in both games to the Fighting Engineers (5-3, 2-0 HCAC).

In game one, Defiance took a 3-1 lead in the second inning, capitalizing on three hits and multiple errors from the Rose-Hulman defense. With the bases loaded, Tori Plummer reached on an error that scored Sandra Hubler from third.

After a fielder's choice that caught the lead runner for Defiance out at home, the Yellow Jackets scored on back-to-back plays. Emily Denhard reached on a fielder's choice as Rose-Hulman attempted to catch Macy Ferrall on her way to home, but the senior scored to make it 2-1 DC.

Brittany Shough then hit an RBI single to score Plummer for DC's third and final run of the inning and game.

Rose-Hulman answered with a run in the third inning and then tied the game up in the fifth inning, but it wasn't until the seventh that the Engineers offense broke through to push past Defiance in the game. Rose-Hulman used a pair of RBI doubles, one scoring two runs, and a sacrifice to pile on a four run inning and secure a game one victory.

In game two, Rose-Hulman jumped out to an early lead with two runs in the second inning before adding three more runs in the third. This time, it was the Yellow Jackets who had an offensive explosion, tying the game at five in the fourth inning.

Ferrall started off the inning with a home run and the Yellow Jackets followed it up by piling the bases loaded. Kali Campbell brought them all around home with a grand slam, scoring Erica Truitt, Shough, and Makayla McAvoy.

After Rose-Hulman scored a run to retake the lead, Defiance answered with a Kailea Holbrook double down the right line that scored Ferrall from second.

However, Defiance errors proved costly as Rose scored a pair of unearned runs in the sixth that proved to be the difference in game two. Back-to-back errors put runners on second and third for the Engineers and a double brought them home in the sixth, scoring the winning runs to go up 8-6.

The Yellow Jackets will look to rebound Thursday when they host Adrian in a double header at Sal Hench Field, the home opener for Defiance in 2014.