DC Softball advances to second round of HCAC Tournament
Nick Williams, Assistant SID

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The Defiance College Softball team pulled out a close game that went into extra innings to advance to the next round of play in the HCAC Tournament Friday afternoon, beating Manchester College by the score 6-5.

The Yellow Jackets jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, highlighted by a grand slam by Kayla Crager. Justine Johnston held the lead for two innings until the Spartans mounted a comeback of their own in the top of the third. anchester scored four runs in the inning before Johnston was able to get out of the jam.

The game remained at 5-4 until the top of the seventh when they put the tying run on the board with an RBI single, sending the game into extra innings. The seventh and eighth innings went scoreless, when in the bottom of the ninth, when Renee Steffen led off with a single, after a sac bunt by Melanie Bushman, Kelsey Sugg singled in Steffen to score with the winning run.

Johnston earned the victory, pitching nine innings, giving up five runs (four earned) on seven hits, with seven walks and eight strikeouts. Crager went 1-for-4 with the grand slam and four RBIs. Renee Steffen went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Bushman, Sugg, and Alicia Allen each picked up two hits in the game.

DC will face the winner of the Franklin/Anderson matchup at 3:00 p.m.