Jackets Fall to Illinois College and Shuts Out Hiram

WINTER HAVEN, FLA.  --  The Defiance College softball team rallied from a 4-1 loss to Illinois College in its first game of the day to shut out Hiram College, 7-0, in game two in a pair of non-conference matchups at the Rebel Spring Games in Winter Haven, Fla.

Against Illinois, the game remained scoreless until the bottom of the third inning when the Lady Blues scored four runs to go up, 4-0.  Defiance (3-5) ended the shutout with a run in the top of the sixth inning thanks to a RBI-single by freshman first baseman Emily Kauble (New Bloomington/Elgin) to make the score 4-1.  The lone run turned out to be only score for the Yellow Jackets as DC was held scoreless in the seventh and fell to Illinois College by the final of 4-1.

Defiance outhit Illinois College, 7-3, but committed four defensive errors.  Two Yellow Jackets recorded multi-hit games in freshman Kaity Kuhn (Celina) and sophomore Megan Warren (Mason) who both finished two-of-four overall.  Warren also scored the team's only run.  Kauble, sophomore Emily Denhard (Troy, Mich./Kolbe Academy) and junior Makayla McAvoy (Mt. Gilead) all had a base hit in the game.  

Freshman pitcher Sarah Kaya (Lorain/Clearview) pitched a complete game, but would suffer the loss and is now 0-2 overall.  She allowed four runs, two earned, on three hits and had one strikeout.

Against Hiram, DC took the lead in the bottom of the second inning with four runs that included a two-RBI double by freshman Haley Patty (Bradford) with runners on second and third.  The very next batter, junior Sandra Hubler (Berea) connected on a double that scored Patty and Hubler crossed the plate when Denhard found open space for a RBI-single to round out the scoring.  DC padded its lead in the fourth with a pair of runs on a pair of defensive errors to increase the margin to 6-0.  The Jackets tallied their final run in the fifth with a lead-off triple by Patty and later scored on a wild pitch as DC went on to the 7-0 shutout victory.

Defiance totaled eight hits in the game led by Patty and Hubler who both finished two-of-three.  Patty also scored a pair of runs in addition to two RBI, while Hubler scored and drove in a run.  Denhard ended the game one-of-four with two RBI and senior Brittany Shough (DeGraff/Riverside) was one-of-three and scored a run to go along with a RBI.  Freshman Calli Bauer (Galion) completed the list of Yellow Jacket players to record a hit, going one-of-four.

On the mound, freshman Sydni Smith (Jackson, Mich./Lumen Christi) capitalized on her first collegiate game posting her first win and first shutout of her career going all seven innings allowing no runs on eight hits and struck out three batters.

Defiance will wrap-up its Florida trip tomorrow (Friday, Mar. 13) with a final set of games beginning with a matchup against Marietta College at 10 a.m., followed by a game against SUNY-Farmingdale at 12:15 p.m.