DC Softball Sweeps Fightin' Engineers

DEFIANCE, OHIO -- The Defiance College softball team earned a pair of key Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference victories against Rose-Hulman (Ind.) Institute of Technology at Sal Hench Field on Saturday. DC stole the opener, 8-4, while winning the nightcap, 9-4.

The Yellow Jackets (19-14, 6-3 HCAC) struck first in game one, as Jordan Osborne (Delaware/Rutherford B. Hayes) led off with a base-hit. Two batters later, freshman Brooke Gostomsky (Covington) drove her in with a single up the middle to give DC a quick 1-0 advantage. Rose-Hulman (10-14, 1-11 HCAC) responded with four consecutive runs to take a 4-1 lead, as the DC offense remained silent until the sixth, when Jackie Hartman (Parma/Padua Franciscan) doubled home Gostomsky to cut the lead to 4-2 entering the seventh.

Michaela Bauer (Hicksville) walked and Marisa Guyton (Powell/Worthington Kilbourne) singled to lead off the seventh. After Osborne sacrificed them over, Emily Denhard (Troy, Mich./Kolbe Academy) and Megan Warren (Mason) knotted back-to-back RBI singles to tie the game at 4-4. As the very next batter, Gostomsky, capped her monster performance with a three-run home run over the right center field fence to see Defiance lead 7-4. Hartman followed suit with a solo home run to make it back-to-back homers and finish off a six-run seventh for Defiance, en route to an 8-4 victory.

Junior Sarah Kaya (Lorain/Clearview) earned her third straight win in the circle, throwing the complete game while allowing four runs on 11 hits and striking out four.

Gostomsky led the way from the batter's box, batting a perfect three-for-three with four RBI, while Hartman collected a pair of hits with two RBI.

In game two, Defiance started where they left off in the third inning on a run-scoring single by Gostomsky to grab a 1-0 lead. Junior Kaity Kuhn (Celina) led off the fourth with a double and scored on a base-knock by Jess Mello (Vermilion) to make it 2-0. Osborne grounded into a fielder's choice that scored Haley Patty (Bradford), followed by a two-run triple from Warren to extend the lead to 5-0 through four frames.

Defiance added two more in the seventh on a RBI-double by Osborne and a RBI-single from Warren before allowing four runs in the bottom half of the frame and cutting the deficit to 7-4. DC found insurance runs in the seventh as Gostomsky led off with a single and scored on a double by Hartman. Patty drove her in two batters later with a single to make it a 9-4 game, which would be the final score.

Sophomore Jamie Kimbler (Huber Heights/Wayne) improved to 4-1 on the season with the win on the mound. Kimbler pitched all seven innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on nine hits and striking out two.

Warren led the way offensively, batting a perfect four-of-four with three RBI. Gostomsky, Hartman, and Kuhn all added two hits apiece. 

Defiance comes back with a pair of key HCAC contests at Sal Hench Field on Sunday, Apr. 23 against Franklin (Ind.) College. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.