Yellow Jackets swept in doubleheader at Earlham

RICHMOND, Ind. – The Defiance College Yellow Jackets lost a pair of decisions against the Earlham Quakers, 4-3 and 18-4, to open their three-game series in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference baseball action at Randal Sadler Stadium on Saturday.

With the losses, DC drops to 4-23 and 1-12 in the HCAC while Earlham improves to 16-12 and 6-7 within the conference.

Game 1: Earlham 4, Defiance 3
Box Score: Click here

DC got another strong start from sophomore pitcher Sam Thombs (Commerce Township, Mich./Lutheran) but suffered a walk-off loss in the opening game of Saturday's twinbill. 

Tied 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth, a fielding error led off the inning before a single set runners on the corners with no out. Moments later, Earlham's Ian Bullis roped his second hit of the game into right field to bring in the winning run, which was unearned against reliever Johnny Hammerstein (Loss, 0-3; Canton, Mich./Father Gabriel Richard). 

Hammerstein pitched the final three innings following an eight-strikeout outing over five frames by Thombs. For the Quakers, Dillon Fischer (Win, 3-3) put together a complete-game for the victory as Defiance tallied eight hits and walked twice while Fischer fanned seven.

Offensively, Hunter Bostater (Ney, Ohio/Fairview) knocked in all three Defiance runs. With the bases load in the first, he hit into a fielder's choice with one out to score the first run of the game. He evened the score at 3-3 during the eighth inning with a two-run single through the middle of the diamond.

Game 2: Earlham 18, Defiance 4 (7 innings)
Box Score: Click here

The second game lacked the same drama as the first as the Quakers capitalized on five Yellow Jacket errors and 15 base hits to take an 18-4 run-rule win. The score was tied 3-3 after an inning and a half before Earlham took charge with a pair of crooked innings. They answered a game-tying RBI triple in the second by Tyler Dehan (St. Henry, Ohio/St. Henry) with a five-spot in the home half of the inning to chase starter Blake Bowman (Loss, 0-3; Toledo, Ohio/Start) after 1.2 innings of work. 

A quartet of other Jacket arms got in work over but were all hit with at least one earned run. Jeremy Russo (Clinton Township, Mich./Fraser) shouldered Earlham's six-run fifth but only two were earned on account of two Defiance errors.

Bostater notched an RBI in the second game to total four for the afternoon and went a combined 2-for-7 at the dish. Jacob Hild (Holly, Mich./Holly) had a three-hit afternoon while Trent Murdock (Liberty Center, Ohio/Liberty Center) was the only other Defiance hitter to record a hit in each game.

The Yellow Jackets wrap up their three-game stint with the Quakers on Sunday afternoon. First pitch at Sadler Stadium is scheduled for noon.

-JACKETS-