Gregg shuts out Warriors in Game 1, DC’s Game 2 comeback comes up short

DEFIANCE, Ohio - The Defiance Yellow Jackets split their day-night doubleheader with the Rochester Christian Warriors with a pair of one-run games, finishing with a 1-0 win and 3-2 loss at Defiance High School on Friday.

The first contest featured the Yellow Jackets' (7-12, 1-1 WHAC) first team shutout since March 12, 2020 while the Warriors (3-10, 1-1 WHAC) snapped a three-game slide in the second contest.

Gunner Gregg tossed a one-hitter in the first game and submitted the program's first complete-game shutout since Cohen Nies blanked Ohio Northern over nine innings on March 21, 2019. Gregg also struck out nine hitters and worked around four walks. The senior right-hander held RCU hitless through 4.2 innings until a two-out single by Dakota Shafer. Gregg got in a small jam after he hit a batter to extend the fifth inning but worked out of the tight spot with a popup to shortstop. He retired 10 straight hitters prior to a walk in the fourth and stranded the potential tying run on base in each the sixth and seventh frames.

Defiance produced the lone run of Game 1 in the bottom of the first before Gregg preserved the lead with a stellar effort on the mound. After Jacob Hild worked a lead-off walk, Dylan Barger took his spot at first as the courtesy runner for DC's catcher. Barger reached third base on a two-base error by Rochester Christian starting pitcher Ryan Polego, who made a bad throw on a pickoff attempt. Connor Gephart brought Barger home on a productive groundout to shortstop and that was all the Yellow Jackets required on offense.

Strong pitching also characterized the second game in a tight 3-2 affair. Josh Gase kept the Warriors off the board during the first 3.2 frames with help from his defense picking up outs on the bases. Trailing 1-0, Gase was lifted for Aiden Behrman in the fifth, who used strikeouts for all three outs despite an inherited run scoring with two outs. Elisa Marquez took over in the seventh and blanked the Warriors the rest of the way with three hitless frames.

The Yellow Jackets offense clawed back to add a run in the bottom of the sixth and eighth innings but left the bags full in the bottom of the ninth. Gregg delivered both RBIs for DC with a sacrifice fly in the sixth and a double in the eighth. DC had another big opportunity in the seventh with two on and no outs but a double play extinguished the threat. Rochester Christian's Bryan Masterson struck out 10 hitters over eight one-run innings for the winning decision.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Friday's win in Game 1 was the team's first baseball victory in conference play as a WHAC member.
• After the team's first round of WHAC play, the Yellow Jackets are 4-4 over their last eight games.
• The two one-run games now have DC 3-1 in such ballgames.
• Tyler Dehan tallied Defiance's lone hit of the first game on a bunt single to start the second inning. That hit extended his hitting streak to nine games, the longest active streak on the team but it was snapped in Game 2. His on-base streak was extended to 13 games with a walk in the second contest. 
• Despite one hit by the offense in the first game, DC worked one walk and three hitters were hit by pitches. Anthony Silvera Jr. got plunked twice.
• With three scoreless innings, Elisa Marquez recorded her longest scoreless outing since coming to DC.
• Jacob Hild delivered three hits in the second ballgame to lead the offense, his fifth multi-hit game of the year to lead the team.

UP NEXT

The Yellow Jackets are back in action on Sunday against the Siena Heights Saints. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Defiance High School.

-JACKETS-