Baseball Loses Twinbill Against Anderson in Season Finale

ANDERSON, IND.  --  The Defiance College baseball team ended the 2016 season with a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader against Anderson (Ind.) University, but fell twice to the Ravens, 9-8 and 14-4 in eight innings.

In game one, Defiance (18-22, 11-16 HCAC) got on the board first with three runs in the top of the first inning highlighted by RBI base hits by freshman Troy Konwinski (Allen Park, Mich./Allen Park) and sophomore Dom Gentile (Defiance).  Anderson (16-21, 13-12 HCAC) answered the early DC offensive burst with two runs of its own in the bottom of the inning, making the score 3-2.

The two teams traded runs in the fourth with the Yellow Jackets' run coming on a triple by senior Ryan Kohlhofer (Walbridge/Lake).  DC then tallied two more runs in the fifth on another RBI base hit by Gentile and on an errant throw later in the inning that allowed Gentile to score extending the margin to 6-3.  Anderson responded again with a run in it's half of the fifth narrowing the gap to 6-4.

The Ravens edged closer with another run in the seventh on a wild pitch making the score 6-5.  Defiance added an insurance run in both the eighth and ninth innings thanks to a RBI-single by Kohlhofer in the eighth and a sacrifice fly by senior Ben Weber (Troy/Lehman Catholic) to lead 8-5.  

In the bottom of the ninth, Anderson got bases loaded with no outs which resulted in four runs in the inning, including the game-winning run on a squeeze bunt giving the Ravens the 9-8 come-from-behind win.

Defiance tallied 12 hits in the game with Kohlhofer recording a game-tying high three hits in five attempts.  He also scored a run and had two RBI.  Four other Yellow Jackets recorded multiple hits with Konwinski going two-of-three with a pair of runs scored and a RBI.  Gentile also finished two-of-three to go along with a run scored and two RBI.  Junior Zack Reed (Midland, Mich./Bullock Creek) went two-of-four and scored two runs and senior Gary Levengood (Beverly Hills, Fla./Lecanto) was two-of-five with a run scored.

Junior Nick Peters (Macomb, Mich./Eisenhower) got the start on the mound for the Jackets and went six-and-a-third innings allowing five runs, four earned, on 11 hits and struck out three batters.  Peters ended up with a no decision.  Junior Jacob Green (Defiance) pitched an inning and two-thirds in relief and allowed no runs or hits in addition to posting four strikeouts.  Senior Chris Douglas (Wixom, Mich./Walled Lake Western) came on to pitch the ninth inning and would end up with the loss after allowing four runs on four hits.

In the nightcap, Defiance struck first again with a run in the top of the first inning on a defensive error to take the early lead.  The Ravens then took control of the game in the bottom of the third by plating seven runs to lead, 7-1.  Freshman Tanner Stippich (Lima/Allen East) drove home DC's second run of the game in the fourth on a single, but the Anderson bats stayed hot from the third inning with four more runs in the fourth to increase the lead to 11-2.

Following a defensive error in the second at-bat of the DC sixth, Stippich came up with another run-scoring hit, this time a triple, that made the score 11-3.  The Ravens got the run back in the seventh, however, with a solo homerun to extend the margin back to nine runs, 12-3.  

The final run for Defiance came in the top of the eighth when Stippich recorded his third RBI of the game with a single as the Jackets crept to within eight runs, 12-4.  In the bottom of the frame, the Ravens plated two runs to put the "run-rule" into effect and gave Anderson the 14-4 victory and the doubleheader sweep.

Defiance recorded another 12-hit effort at the plate with the duo of Stippich and Reed both finishing three-of-four overall.  Stippich also added the three RBI.  Kohlhofer rounded out the multi-hitters with two hits in four at-bats. 

Five Yellow Jackets saw action on the mound with junior Nick Watkins (Lima/Central Catholic) getting the start and pitched two and two-thirds innings allowing seven runs, four earned, on six hits and had two strikeouts.  He was also given the loss and ends the season with a 5-4 overall record.