Baseball Edged by Rival Bluffton

BLUFFTON, OHIO  --  Senior Chris Donese (Kettering/Fairmont) batted three-of-five at the plate, including a pair of runs scored and two RBI, but the Defiance College baseball team came up short of rival Bluffton University, 8-7, in a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference game in Bluffton.

Defiance (6-6, 1-3 HCAC) took the early lead in the top of the first inning with a run that was set up by back-to-back singles by Donese and junior Ben Weber (Troy/Lehman Catholic).  Donese advanced to third on the Weber single and later scored on a wild pitch for the 1-0 lead.  The Yellow Jackets continued the scoring in the second when three more runs crossed the plate beginning with a RBI-ground out by sophomore Zack Reed (Midland, Mich./Bullock Creek) with runners on second and third.  The very next batter, junior Ryan Kohlhofer (Walbridge/Lake) connected on a double to score another run and Donese followed with a RBI-single to put DC up, 4-0.

Bluffton (11-5, 4-0 HCAC) got on the board with a run in the bottom of the third to make the score 4-1.  DC extended its margin in the fourth with a pair of scores that included another RBI-single by Donese and a RBI-sacrifice fly by junior Gary Levengood (Beverly Hlls, Fla./Lecanto) later in the inning to make the score 6-1.  The Beavers tallied another run in their half of the fourth, but the Jackets got the run back in the fifth on a passed ball with bases loaded.  The Bluffton offense then made its run, scoring six unanswered runs beginning with three runs in the bottom half of the fifth, then tied the game at 7-7 in the bottom of the sixth with two runs, before taking the lead in the seventh with a lone run to make the score 8-7.

The Beavers threatened again in the eighth with runners at every base, but DC kept the deficit at just a run by recording the final out of the inning before any additional Bluffton runs could score.  Defiance began the top of the ninth with a ground out, but a double by senior Joel Musser (Center Line, Mich./Center Line) gave the Jackets an opportunity to tie the game with a runner in scoring position.  Bluffton then made a pitching change which led to back-to-back outs to end the game and hold on for the 8-7 victory.

Defiance finished the game with 10 hits, led by Donese.  Two other Yellow Jacket players had multi-hit games in Weber going two-of-four and Musser two-of-four with a run scored.  Kohlhofer ended the day one-of-four with a run scored and RBI.  Seniors Matt Staels (Harrison Twp., Mich./L'Anse Creuse) and Ian Burkhart (Fremont, Ind./Fremont) recorded the other two base hits for DC.  Staels had a base hit in four at-bats and Burkhart was one-of-five.  Both players also scored a run.

At pitcher, freshman Jacob Green (Defiance) got the start, but would end up with a no decision, pitching four-and-a-third innings allowing five runs, four earned, on five hits and struck out three batters.  Sophomore Nick Watkins (Lima/Central Catholic) pitched two and two-thirds innings of relief and ended up as the pitcher of record, surrendering the loss and is now 1-1 overall for the season.  Three runs scored with Watkins on the mound on five hits and he tallied one strikeout.  Sophomore Nick Peters (Macomb, Mich./Eisenhower) pitched a shutout eighth inning allowing three hits and had two strikeouts.

Defiance is scheduled to host Mount St. Joseph University in a three-game HCAC series beginning on Friday, Mar. 27 at Craig A. Rutter Field.  The first game on Friday is set to begin at 4:15 p.m.