Vance and Koesters clutch vs. ONU, Jackets sweep

DEFIANCE, Ohio—A walk-off home run by Jeremy Vance and a game-winning RBI single by Lenny Koesters lifted Defiance College to two wins over Ohio Northern on Sunday afternoon at Rutter Field.

Vance’s blast came with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning in game one giving DC a 6-5 win, while Koesters sliced the deciding single in extra innings of game two lifting the Jackets to a 5-4 triumph. The home run by Vance was his first of the year and DC’s second in the game, the first coming off the left-handed bat of James Yenser in fifth inning. Koesters’ deciding RBI was his ninth of the year as the junior is hitting .422.

Nicholas Picciano got the win in game one after going 1 2/3 innings and striking out one. Dustin Zizelman started and went 5 1/3, striking out three and allowing three earned runs. Yenser ended the game 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs. Vance was 2-for-2 with two RBI and one run.

Tyler Stork went 5 1/3 in game two and struck out two batters, while Jake Reckner and Zach Metner appeared in relief with Metzner getting the win in 3 1/3 innings of work with two Ks.

Koesters was 3-for-5 with three RBI in game two, while Chad Ballee went 1-for-2 with one run and an RBI. R.J. Chidester went 2-for-3 with a run in the Jacket win.

DC is now 11-13 on the year and will host Heidelberg on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m.