Bats erupt to finish road trip ahead of conference opener this weekend

GREENVILLE, S.C. - The Defiance Yellow Jackets finished their road trip through the Southeast by splitting a doubleheader against the Bob Jones Bruins by losing a 3-2 contest followed by a dominating 17-7 win for the Jackets in the nightcap at Conestee Park on Tuesday. 

The Yellow Jackets (6-11) completed their trip to Georgia and South Carolina with a 3-3 record in their final tune-up before conference play opens this weekend. 

The final two games of the road trip were polar opposites with a pitcher's duel followed by a slugfest. In Game 1, Blake Bowman went toe-to-toe with Bruins (4-14) starter Noah Weaver to a scoreless game through four innings. Connor Gephart broke through for Defiance with an RBI double in the fifth, but the Bruins responded with three runs in the home half of the inning to gain control of the game. Gephart pushed across a second run in the sixth when he wore a pitch with the bases full. In the seventh, the Jackets were able to get the tying run on base but were unable to extend the contest in the one-run loss.

In the second game, the Yellow Jackets went on to post a 17-run game and to force the run rule after five innings. Defiance needed just two innings to build a 10-1 lead with a slew of singles and walks with a pair of two-run doubles sprinkled in. In the first inning, Mitchell Roever delivered a two-run double while Anthony Silvera Jr. plated two runs on a double in the second frame. After two-run hits by Tyler Dehan in the second and a two-run knock by Gunner Gregg in the fourth, Defiance pushed their lead ahead to 13-1. The Bruins got four runs back in their half of the fourth but the Jackets kept the line moving with a four-run fifth on just one hit, an RBI single form Tim Bobek, while six hitters worked walks.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• The Yellow Jackets have reached six wins in 17 games, putting the team three wins shy of last season's win total with 33 games remaining.
• DC's 17 runs in Game 2 were their most in a game under head coach Shane Gardner. It was the program's best offensive showing since May 1, 2108 when the team scored 17 against Mount St. Joseph.
• Connor Gephart had a perfect day at the plate with nine total plate appearances and was not put out once. He went 3-for-3 with two doubles, three RBIs, five walks and was hit by a pitch. In the second game of the day, he tied a program record with four walks.
• Mitchell Roever excelled as well with a multi-hit game in the 17-run outburst, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs combined between the two games.
• Anthony Silvera Jr. posted a season-high four RBIs during the 10-run win and delivered three different run-scoring at-bats.

UP NEXT
Defiance begins its WHAC schedule this weekend with a home series against Rochester Christian and Siena Heights. DC is scheduled to host Rochester Christian on Saturday with a 1 p.m. first pitch.

-JACKETS-