Yellow Jackets split with Hanover after falling just short in game two

HANOVER, Ind. - The Defiance College split a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference softball doubleheader at Hanover College Saturday afternoon. The Yellow Jackets won game one and Hanover bounced back to take game two.

The Yellow Jackets move to 10-19 overall and 5-5 in the HCAC. Hanover is now 8-22 overall and 3-7 in the HCAC. 

Game one - Defiance 3, Hanover 1

Pitching was the theme as Anika Craft and Lauren Beaman both pitched well in this one. Craft had to work out of traffic on the bases in the first two innings and did so successfully. Madison Guggenbiller broke the scoreless tie with a two-run homerun in the sixth to give DC a 2-0 lead. 

The Panthers cut the lead in half with a two-out RBI double in the bottom of the sixth. The Yellow Jackets got the run right back in the seventh when Anika Craft reached on an error and Avery Roever scored on the play. Hanover brought the tying run to the plate but Craft shut down the rally by inducing back-to-back groundouts to end the game. 

Brooke Silcox was the only player to record multiple hits in the game and Payton Mallett, Anna Emswiler, Guggenbiller and Craft recorded one hit each.

Craft (6-3) went the distance pitching all 7.0 innings and struck out 12. 

Game two - Hanover 8, Defiance 7

The Yellow Jackets put up a crooked number of runs in the first inning of game two to jump on Hanover early. Brooke Silcox reached on an error and Laney Grimwood scored the first run of the game. Also in the inning, Ali Mowen and Savannah McCoy added RBI singles, Anna Emswiler drew a bases loaded walk and Savanah Bergman added a sacrifice fly. Hanover responded in a big way by adding three runs of their own to cut into the deficit. 

After scoring three in the opening inning, the Panthers scored three more in the third on two home runs to take their first lead of the game at 6-5. The game remained 6-5 until the sixth when a bunt single by Craft scored Bergman to tie the game at six.

With out in the sixth, Craft replaced starting pitcher Riley Alcorn on the mound. With two outs and with the game still tied, Hanover got a huge two-run triple to take the lead back at 8-6. 

The Yellow Jackets once again did not go away quietly as two walks and a hit batter allowed DC to load the bases with just one out in the seventh. Laney Grimwood hit a sacrifice fly that allowed all runners to advance, but Craft grounded out to end the game as the Yellow Jackets fell just short of a sweep this afternoon.

Riley Alcorn (1-6) got the start on the mound and was credited with the loss allowing 11 hits and seven earned runs in 5.1 innings. Craft pitched the final 0.2 innings and allowed one run while striking out a batter to give her 13 total strikeouts this afternoon. Six different players recorded one RBI while Craft and McCoy recorded multiple hits in the game. Anna Emswiler drew two walks and Emma Rodgers made an appearance as a pinch runner in the final inning. 

Up Next

The Yellow Jackets travel to Lexington, Ky. for an HCAC doubleheader at Transylvania next Saturday, April 27.