Jackets face pair of tough losses to Aquinas

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - In nail-biting fashion, the Defiance College Yellow Jackets dropped a pair of games to the Aquinas Saints at the Gainey Athletic Complex on Saturday. 

Game 1: Defiance 3, Aquinas 4

Aquinas (26-18, 11-9 WHAC) started the day with a first-inning, one-point advantage over the Yellow Jackets, but the score remained stagnant through the next four innings. Defiance's defense, led by Taighen Zipfel at pitcher, forced back-to-back three up, three down innings in the third and fourth. 

At the top of the fifth, two quick outs loomed over the Jackets (9-35, 2-19 WHAC), however a walk from Emma Rodgers followed by a double from Anna Emswiler put a run on the board. With some momentum, Ali Mowen walked to earn a spot on base and Kaylee Heath singled to notch an RBI by sending Emswiler home. Anika Craft also singled, which brought in Mowen for a 3-1 lead. 

The Saints then tied the game at the bottom of the inning and for the game, secured one final run at the bottom of the sixth, which Defiance was unable to answer in the seventh. 

Game 2: Defiance 6, Aquinas 7

Unlike game one, Defiance started the scoring with two runs in the first inning and sole runs in the second, third and fourth. Runs belonged to Mowen, Heath, Avery Roever, Craft and Emswiler; Emswiler and Roever earned RBIs. Though, with two runs in the bottoms of the third and fourth innings, plus one more in the fifth, the Saints stormed back to tie the contest at five apiece heading into the sixth inning. 

A single from Morgan Scott brought in Mowen for her second score of the game to give Defiance six, but once again, Aquinas rebutted with a run in the bottom of the inning. In their final at-bat, the Jackets were unable to get a tie-breaking score. The Saints had two on base when a single drove in the winning run for the home team. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS  

• In her eight at-bats on the day, Ali Mowen had three hits (all doubled), walked once and had three runs with no strikeouts. 

• Game two featured four Jackets with 50% or better hitting percentage – Mowen, Anika Craft, Madison Guggenbiller and Anna Emswiler.

• Defiance hit better or the same as Aquinas in each inning of game two. It had 13 in the contest and 19 on the day. 

• Craft and Emswiler each earned RBIs in both games. 

• With a 75% hitting percentage in game two, Guggenbiller had her best offensive performance of the season. 

• Craft increased her on-base percentage to 44.5%, which leads the team. 

• Defensively, Mowen led with nine assists at shortstop and Emswiler's 17 putouts was a team high on the day at first base and catcher. 

• Taighen Zipfel (6 IP) pitched the whole game one for Defiance and is now 1-9 on the season. 

• Madelynn Vickers (2.1 IP), Devyn Hamilton (1 IP), Sydney Fackler (1.2 IP) and Craft (1.1 IP) took the mound for the Jackets. Craft took the loss and is now 4-14 on the season.

UP NEXT

Defiance will clash with Rochester Christian on Tuesday for its season finale. The doubleheader will take place at Jaycee Field in Rochester, Mich. and is set for 3 p.m. 

-JACKETS-