DC’s furious comeback falls just short; Adrian takes both games of Wednesday’s softball action
DEFIANCE, Ohio - The Defiance College softball team put together a rally all with two outs in the bottom of the seventh of game two Wednesday afternoon against the Adrian College Bulldogs, but DC fell one run short as the Bulldogs took game two 7-6 after winning game one 3-1.
Adrian improves to 14-4 overall and the Yellow Jackets fall to 4-13 overall with today's two losses.
Game one (L, 3-1)
The Yellow Jackets took advantage of two Adrian errors in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead as Brooke Silcox scored the first run of the game. The Bulldogs tied the game at one in the third as they got a two-out walk and RBI single to even the score.
Karson Bagelmann's clutch two-out, two-run single gave the Bulldogs the lead for good in the fourth. Bagelmann hit a sinking line drive to right field and DC's Savanah Bergman could not corral the catch on the diving effort. Adrian's starting pitcher Macee Schang struck out 13 DC batters and held the Yellow Jackets to just three hits on the day.
Payton Mallett led off the sixth with a single but the Yellow Jackets were unable to put together a rally as Schang struck out the next three batters she faced in Anika Craft, Anna Emswiler, and Madison Guggenbiller.
Laney Grimwood, Craft, and Mallett had one hit each. Anika Craft (2-2) took the loss on the mound and pitched 4.0 innings, allowed three earned runs and struck out four. Riley Alcorn pitched the final three innings, did not surrender a run and also struck out four.
Game two (L, 7-6)
Adrian jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first in game two. The Bulldogs scored once on a wild pitch and one unearned run later in the inning. DC recorded four hits in the bottom of the inning and scored twice to tie the game. Both runs came with two outs as Laney Grimwood scored on a single by Savanah Bergman and Anika Craft scored on a single by Natalee Cooper.
The Bulldogs answered with three in the second inning and added two more in the sixth for a 7-2 lead. Those two added runs in the sixth were key as the Bulldogs ended up needing both to secure the win.
With two outs in the seventh, the next seven DC batters reached base safely to make the game interesting. Brooke Silcox started it with a double and Payton Mallett, Savanah Bergman, and Natalee Cooper followed with singles. Following the singles, Savannah McCoy, Madison Guggenbiller, and Avery Roever all drew walks. Trailing 7-6, the game ended with a weak ground ball hit to first base by Laney Grimwood.
Silcox, Bergman, Cooper, and Roever each finished with two hits and Cooper drove in three. Carlee Young recorded a hit as a pinch hitter. McCoy, Emma Rodgers, Riley Alcorn, and Grimwood all pitched in the game. The pitching appearance for Grimwood was the first of her career and recorded her first career strikeout. Grimwood was the only DC pitcher to not allow a run and each pitcher struck out one. Rodgers (0-2) was credited with the loss.
Up Next
The Yellow Jackets open HCAC play this Saturday, March 30 at Sal Hench Field against Rose-Hulman. Game one begins at 1 p.m.
