Softball Splits Doubleheader at Mount St. Joseph

CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Defiance College softball team, who has been a fixture in the HCAC tournament since joining the conference in 2000, greatly jeopardized its chances of making this year's tournament by splitting a doubleheader against Mount St. Joseph on Saturday, April 17.

The team used extra innings to win, 4-3, in the first contest, before falling, 7-2, in the second game to drop to 5-7 in conference play.

Defiance took the lead in the first inning of the first contest, with Tasha Stucke and Marah Robinson reaching base with one out to set up Kaitie Miller for an RBI single to left field. Robinson would plate the second run of the inning thanks to an error by the second baseman to put the Jackets up, 2-0.

The Panthers tied the game, 2-2, in the bottom of the second inning on a two-run double to center field by MSJ's Haley Shinkle. For the next five innings, both teams would go scoreless to force the game into extra innings.

The Yellow Jackets put the pressure on Mount St. Joseph in the top of the eighth, as DC's Elizabeth Huffman shot a sacrifice fly to center field, bringing Katie Miller in to score. However, the Panthers would respond with one run in the bottom of the inning as Megan McCullough hit an RBI single to center field, before the Jackets turned a 6-4-3 double play to get out of the inning.

Defiance scored another run in the top of the ninth inning on a sacrifice fly by Stucke, and the Panthers failed to answer this time, as the Yellow Jackets escaped with the 4-3 victory.

In the second contest, both teams went scoreless to start the opening period, but Mount St. Joseph's offense got rolling in the second frame, scoring runs in each of the next four innings. The Yellow Jackets were held to two runs on five hits in the game, as MSJ coasted to their first conference win of the season.

Stucke led DC offensively with four hits in seven at bats on the day. In 100 at bats this season, the junior shortstop has now posted 37 hits to go along with 22 runs batted in.

The Yellow Jackets will return to action on Thursday, April 22, when they host Adrian College in a doubleheader beginning at 3:00 p.m.