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April 20

DC Stays in HCAC Title Hunt with Sweep of Hanover
Defiance vs. Hanover Game one / Game two

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance improved to 8-3 at Sal Hench Field with a sweep of Hanover College on Sunday, April 20. The Jackets won the opener 7-2, before taking the nightcap 4-0 to move to 7-3 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference and remain one game out of the conference lead.

Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the first, Stephanie Lieto smacked a double to right field to give the Jackets a runner in scoring position with one out. One out later Mallory Faling drove in Lieto with a single to tie the game.

Hanover added another run in the top of the second, but Justine Johnston and the Defiance defense were able to hold the Panthers in check over the remainder of the game. DC regained the lead with a two-run third inning. Marah Robinson drew a bases loaded walk to plate Amanda Auzins, before a sac fly by Faling scored Laurel Palk to put the Jackets up 3-2.
Faling finishes day with
four hits and four RBI.
Defiance pushed the lead to two with an insurance run in the fourth, before tacking on three more runs in the bottom of the sixth to cruise to the opening game victory.

Justine Johnston (10-5) recorded her eighth win in her last ten outings, going the distance and giving up one earned run on just four hits. Faling finished the game with a career-high four RBI, her sixth multi-RBI game of the season. Auzins and Faling each recorded two hits in the game for DC.

In the nightcap, Defiance broke open a scoreless game with a three-run fourth inning. Aarika Davis started the scoring with a two-out single to plate Faling, while Elizabeth Petrie’s single to center scored Kayla Crager and Davis to give DC a 3-0 advantage. The Jackets would add an insurance run in the fifth, when Palk scored on Robinson’s single through the left side.

Kelly Schnipke’s (5-4) complete game shutout gave DC its fourth sweep of the season as the Jackets moved to 11-0 this season when holding opponents under two runs. The freshman hurler gave up just four hits, while striking out four batters in the game.

Faling had her second multi-hit game of the afternoon with two hits in the nightcap, raising her season average to .318. Palk and Davis each tallied a hit and a run in the game as Defiance finished the contest with eight hits.

Defiance (16-13) will be in action tomorrow, Monday, April 21, when its hosts the HCAC-leading Bluffton Beavers for a doubleheader. The opening game is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m.