Yellow Jacket Softball Drops Two

KISSIMMEE, FLA. -- The Defiance College softball teams continued action in the Rebel Spring Games with a pair of losses. The Yellow Jackets fell, 10-4, in the opener to Lakeland (Wisc.) College and, 13-5 in five innings, by Beloit (Wisc.) College in the nightcap in Kissimmee, Fla.

Against Lakeland, Defiance (1-3) starting pitcher Jamie Kimbler (Huber Heights/Wayne) pitched a scoreless first inning, DC then got a base knock from sophomore Jordan Osborne (Delaware/Rutherford B. Hayes) and later scored on a single from senior Megan Warren (Mason) to give Defiance an early 1-0 advantage.

The Muskies got on the board with a run in the second and added two more in the third to take a 3-1 lead. In the bottom of the third frame, DC began the inning with consecutive singles from Osborne and senior Emily Denhard (Troy, Mich./Kolbe Academy). They advanced on a sacrifice bunt before an RBI groundout from Warren and a run-scoring single by sophomore Jackie Hartman (Parma/Padua Franciscan) tied the contest at 3-3.

The Muskies drove four runs across the plate in the fifth and another in the sixth, but DC cut into the lead in the bottom of the sixth as junior Keri Hupp (Louisville) popped an RBI-single to make it an 8-4 game. 

Lakeland wrapped up the game by adding two insurance runs in the seventh and held the Yellow Jackets scoreless to take a 10-4 victory in the early game.

Kimbler started the day on the mound, pitching three innings and allowing three runs on six hits. She was relieved by junior Sarah Kaya (Lorain/Clearview) and freshman Sydney Zeuch (Mason/Mount Notre Dame) who pitched two innings each. Kaya allowed five runs on five hits while walking four hitters and Zeuch gave up two runs on six hits and had a strikeout.

The Yellow Jackets mustered 12 hits as a team, with four players grabbing multi-hit contests. Osborne went two-for-four from the top of the lineup with a pair of singles and scored two runs. Warren went two-for-four with a pair of RBI, while Hartman was two-of-four with a RBI as well. Denhard wraps up the group, batting two-of-two with two singles, an RBI, and a sacrifice.

The nightcap saw Beloit College explode for 11 runs in the fifth inning en route to a 13-5 five-inning triumph over the Yellow Jackets.

Beloit scored two runs in the first inning off of Kaya, who started after throwing in relief in the early game.

The game remained a 2-0 pitcher's duel until the Yellow Jackets struck in the top of the fifth. Junior Haley Patty (Bradford) started with a base-hit, quickly advancing to third on a groundout and wild pitch. Freshman Mariah Huff (Galloway/Mogadore) reached on a walk before Hartman knocked her third home run of the season to give DC a 3-2 edge.

In the bottom half of the inning, the Buccaneers scattered eight hits to go along with four free passes, which led to 11 runs putting Beloit up by eight runs and brought the eight-run mercy rule into effect ending the game with the Buccaneers prevailing, 13-5.

The Yellow Jackets look to rebound as they enter day three of the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, Fla. on Tuesday, Mar. 7. DC opens with Kean (N.J.) University at 9 a.m., followed by a matchup with Rhodes (Tenn.) College at 11:15 a.m.