Baseball Splits with Albion in Home Opener

DEFIANCE, OHIO  --  The Defiance College baseball team split a non-conference doubleheader against Albion (Mich.) College falling in the first game, 7-4, but capturing the nightcap, 6-2, in the home opener at Craig A. Rutter Field. The nightcap victory gave Head Coach Derek Woodley his 100th win at Defiance College. 

Albion (6-4) scored the only runs of game one until the sixth inning beginning with a three-run top of the second that opened with a Britton solo homerun.  Albion then added two more runs in the fifth and sixth innings to lead 7-0.  Defiance (7-4) looked to rally in the bottom of the sixth when the Yellow Jackets crossed home plate four times that included a RBI-single by junior Quinten Harrington (Sandusky/Perkins).  DC's other runs came on a fielder's choice, a ground out and a passed ball to cut the deficit to 7-4 heading into the final inning.

The Britons went in order in the top of the seventh to keep the deficit at three runs.  DC began its half of the inning with a single by senior Ryan Kohlhofer (Walbridge/Lake), but an insuing strikeout and double play ended the game and allowed Albion to hang on for the 7-4 victory.

Defiance had six hits in the first game with Kohlhofer and fellow senior Ben Weber (Troy/Lehman Catholic) both having a pair of hits.  Kohlhofer finished two-of-four and scored a run, while Weber went two-of-three.

On the mound, junior Dave Blanch (Alliston, Ont./Banting Memorial) started the game and pitched four-and-a-third innings, giving up five runs, three earned, on seven hits and had three strikeouts.  He was also credited with the loss and is now 2-2 overall this season.  Junior Nick Peters (Macomb, Mich./Eisenhower) came on to pitch an inning and two-thirds allowing two runs on three hits and posted two strikeouts.  Freshman Tyler Davie (Cincinnati/Anderson) pitched the final inning, allowing no hits or runs.

In game two, Albion scored first with a run in the top of the first, but Defiance came right back scoring two runs in the bottom of the inning on RBI-base hits by senior Gary Levengood (Beverly Hills, Fla./Lecanto) and Weber making the score 2-1.  In a repeat of the first inning, the Britons scored another run in the second, but the Jackets answered with two more scores in the bottom of the frame thanks to a fielder's choice and a defensive error increasing the margin to 4-2.

Defiance got some additional breathing room in the fourth when the Jackets plated two more runs on an error and a wild pitch padding the lead to 6-2.  The two runs turned out to be the final runs scored in the game the rest of the way as the DC defense held Albion to just four hits for the game and went on to win by the final of 6-2.

The DC bats totaled 11 hits with sophomore Dom Gentile (Defiance) tallying a game-high three hits on five at-bats to go along with two runs scored and a RBI.  Levengood and freshman Michael Gilliland (Napoleon) also recorded multi-hit games.  Levengood finished two-of-five with a RBI and Gilliland finished two-of-four at the plate.  Kohlhofer also had a big day offensively with three runs scored in addition to a base hit.

Junior Nick Watkins (Lima/Central Catholic) started game two at pitcher and went seven innings to post his third win of the season to improve to 3-0.  He allowed two runs, one earned, on four hits and struck out four batters.  Sophomore Jacob Green (Defiance) and senior Chris Douglas (Wixom, Mich./Walled Lake Western) both pitched an inning in relief.  Green allowed no hits or runs and had two strikeouts, while Douglas pitched a perfect ninth inning with no hits, runs or walks.

Defiance will next travel to Ada, Ohio for a non-conference single game against Ohio Northern University on Tuesday, Mar. 22.  The first pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.