Yellow Jacket bats kept in check by Kalamazoo

Kalamazoo 8, Defiance 2
W: Thomas Sylvester (1-0)
L: Joseph O'Neil (0-1)
SV: None
Time: 2:29
Box Score: Click here

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Three Kalamazoo Hornet hurlers combined for 14 strikeouts and surrendered just two runs by the Defiance Yellow Jackets to claim a Sunday afternoon home contest, 8-2, at Defiance High School.

The first seven Yellow Jackets (0-3) were retired in order by Hornets (1-0) starter Thomas Sylvester (Win, 1-0) and did not record a hit until the fourth inning. Kalamazoo's bullpen combined on four one-hit, scoreless innings after their offense built them a 5-2 lead.

A three-run fifth opened up the ballgame for Kalamazoo. Defiance junior Jeremy Russo came out of the bullpen to start the inning for Defiance and handled a comebacker to the mound for the first out. After the routine start to the frame, the Hornets barreled up back-to-back doubles with one out by Lukas Bolton and Harrison Poeszat followed by an RBI single by Cam Kelly to push ahead 4-1. An error on Russo's pickoff throw to first moved Kelly up to third to set the table for an RBI groundout for Tanner Hawkins to make it a three-run inning for Kalamazoo.

The southpaw starter Sylvester set the tone on the hill and fanned eight Jackets over five two-run frames and walked one while holding DC to four hits. Defiance pushed single runs across in the fourth and fifth frames. The first Defiance run was a quick two-out strike on an inning-extending single by Trent Murdock followed by an RBI double by Hunter Bostater to the right-center gap. During the fifth, Tyler Dehan's speed created the run on a leadoff bunt single, stole second and moved up a base on an error, and ran in from third on a wild pitch.

Kalamazoo relievers Brenden Oprinski hurled three one-hit frames in front of a scoreless ninth by Jacob Davis. Gunner Gregg greeted Oprinski with a single to center to account for the last base hit by the Jackets while Oprinski retired his next seven hitters. 

Defiance freshman Joseph O'Neil (Loss, 0-1) got the starting nod for his collegiate pitching debut and got bit by a second inning leadoff walk and an error that led to the first two runs of the game. Back-to-back singles followed the inning-opening free pass to lead to the first run, but Kalamazoo's Daniel Beccari was thrown out at second trying to stretch the hit into a double. The Hornets plated their second run two hitters later with runners on the corners and a wide throw to third by O'Neil trying to pick off the runner.

After Kalamazoo scored three against Russo, he bounced back and pitched a scoreless sixth inning despite walking the leadoff batter. He picked the runner off and went on the punch out the following two batters. Johnny Hammerstein allowed one run to pass in the first of his two innings of work before working a shutdown eighth. Ethan Jenkins worked the ninth and was tagged for two runs after a hit batter, a walk, RBI single and a double steal by the Hornets. 

Yellow Jacket baseball is off until their spring break trip to Fort Myers, Fla. Defiance takes on St. Elizabeth, Wisconsin-Stout, Skidmore, Wisconsin Lutheran and WestConn between March 13-17.

-JACKETS-