Jackets stunned on the road at Kalamazoo in walk-off defeat

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Defiance Yellow Jackets witnessed an 8-3 lead evaporate in the late innings and lost on a walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth against the Kalamazoo Hornets on Wednesday.

With the help of five errors by the Hornets (29-7), the Yellow Jackets (4-29) responded with runs of their in the middle innings after Kalamazoo evened things up at 2-2 in the third. However, Defiance was still unable to avenge their 8-2 loss to the Hornets back in February.

The big surge by Kalamazoo was a five-run eighth inning. Facing Defiance's Jeffrey Varga (Rockford, Mich./Rockford) in relief, the Hornets rang five straight hits following a hit batter to start the inning. After a turn to Tyler Sickmiller (Leipsic, Ohio/Leipsic), Kalamazoo tied the contest at eight runs apiece on a dropped fly ball in left field by Alex Morr (Bryan, Ohio/Bryan).

Kalamazoo pitching worked a hitless ninth inning despite a two-out walk to Kolbe Vanderleest before setting up the game-winning play. Two Sickmiller (Loss, 1-2) walks around a strikeout and stolen base set up Harrison Poeszat's walk-off double, which turned out to be his fifth hit of the contest.

Defiance built up what seemed like a healthy 8-3 lead after the two teams exchanged two runs apiece over the first three innings. The Yellow Jackets did so with two runs in each the fourth, sixth and seventh with the aid of Kalamazoo errors in each frame.

The first two Defiance hitters were retired in the fourth before consecutive singles by Mitchell Roever (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder), Morr and Josh Vischer (Genoa, Ohio/Genoa), which brought home each Roever and Morr due to an error in left field. Vischer delivered again in the sixth with a two-run single with one out. Kalamazoo gave Defiance extra bases in the seventh on a ball hit to shortstop by Jacob Hild (Holly, Mich./Holly) to reach first, who later scored on a sacrifice fly by Austin Horning (Archbold, Ohio/Pettisville), and a pickoff try at second base moved up Ethan Jenkins (Bellbrook, Ohio/Bellbrook) after he doubled. Jenkins was able to scurry home moments later on a wild pitch.

Cohen Nies (Logansport, Ind./Lewis Cass) tossed the first three innings and held the Hornets to two runs while Johnny Hammerstein (Canton, Mich./Father Gabriel Richard) held them down to one run over four innings of relief. On the mound for Kalamazoo, they used eight pitchers before Brenden Oprinksi (Win, 4-1) recorded the final three outs to pick up the victory.

Morr and Vischer each picked up three hits apiece for Defiance as Vischer also notched a triple in the RBI column.

Defiance College returns to action on Thursday with a 4 p.m. non-conference meeting against Ohio Northern.

-JACKETS-