Defiance Softball Falls Short of Coe (Iowa) and Westminster (Pa.)

WINTER HAVEN, FLA.  --  The Defiance College softball team fell short in a pair of games losing to Coe (Iowa College, 5-0, and Westminster (Pa.) College, 2-0, in non-conference action at the Rebel Spring Games in Winter Haven, Fla.

In the opener against Coe, the Kohawks did the majority of their damage in the bottom of the second inning by scoring four runs to take a 4-0 advantage.  The Coe defense, led by a strong effort on the mound, held Defiance (2-4) to just one hit in the game which came off the bat of freshman shortstop Brianna Caldwell (Marion/Elgin) on a double.  Coe added an insurance run in the fourth on a defensive error with runners at second and third base to go on to win by the final of 5-0.

On the hill for the Yellow Jackets, freshman Calli Bauer (Galion) got the start and pitched three innings allowing four runs, three earned, on six hits.  She was also credited with the loss and drops to 1-2 overall for the season.  Fellow freshman Sarah Kaya (Lorain/Clearview) came on in relief to pitch three innings and gave up one run on one hit and struck out three batters. 

The DC bats remained relatively cold in the second game of the day against Westminster, tallying three hits, and comitted four errors defensively.  The Titans took advantage and scored their first run in the top of the third inning to go up, 1-0.  Westminster added another run the very next inning on a RBI-single to increase the margin to 2-0.  The two runs turned out to be all that the Titans needed as Westminster hung on to beat the Jackets by the final of 2-0.

Bauer, freshman second baseman Kaity Kuhn (Celina) and sophomore catcher Megan Warren (Mason) each recorded a hit for DC.  All three players ended the game one-of-three at the plate.

Kaya got the start against the Titans and pitched two-and-a-third innings allowing one run on a hit and had a strikeout.  Freshman Haley Patty (Bradford) pitched the four and two-thirds innings and gave up one run on six hits.

Defiance will look to rebound from today's losses with a pair of games tomorrow (Thursday, Mar. 12) against Illinois College and Hiram College in Winter Haven, Fla.  The Yellow Jackets will take on Illinois College at 10 a.m., followed by a matchup against Hiram at 12:15 p.m.