Yellow Jackets Late Rally Falls Short Against Pioneers

DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Defiance College softball team suffered a pair of losses this afternoon, falling 7-0 and 3-2 to Transylvania University at the Sal Hench Field.

Transylvania was first to strike in game one, recording their initial run of the contest in the opening inning on a single to center field. Two innings later, the visitors doubled their lead, lofting a solo homerun over the fence in the top of the third to put DC in a 2-0 hole.  

The Pioneers spent the next two innings retiring six straight Yellow Jackets before Michaela Bauer broke the silence. She would earn a hit on a lob to shallow right field that would bring up Arianna Richards. Richards would also get on base, capitalizing on an errant throw from the pitcher and go on to advance to second on Haley Patty's at-bat. The Purple and Gold were unable to convert in the inning, however, and remained scoreless through three.

Emma Perry would be one of the three Yellow Jackets to record hits for DC, singling to short center field before being left on base to end the fourth.

TU's momentum persisted into the fifth inning as they recorded a pair of runs on a double to right field followed by a double to left field, giving the Pioneers a 4-0 advantage.

Defiance threatened again in the bottom of the sixth, putting runners in scoring position but again would come up just short. Transy capped game one with a three-run seventh inning to move to 1-0 on the day, winning 7-0.

Transylvania opened up game two connecting early, tallying two runs in the second inning. Undiscouraged by the deficit, Jackie Hartman responded by evening the score with a two-run homerun that cleared the center field fence in the bottom of the fourth.

The Pioneers regained a slight edge, lifting a homerun of their own over the fence in the top of the seventh that would carry them through the remainder of the game to win 3-2.

Defiance returns to the field on Saturday, April 28 as they travel to Hanover College for their final regular season game of the season. First pitch is set for 2:00 PM.