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DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Defiance College softball team will compete in the HCAC tournament this weekend, May 2-3, 2008 on the campus of Rose-Hulman. The Jackets earned the No. 3 seed, after posting a 10-6 conference mark this season.
DC will face rival Bluffton University in the first round of the double-elimination tournament, a rematch of last year’s opening round game that saw the Jackets record a 3-1 victory. Defiance comes into the tournament having won nine of its last 13 games, including five shutouts victories during that span.
The DC offense is led by freshmen standouts Marah Robinson and Mallory Faling. Robinson leads the team in hitting, batting .347 with six homeruns and 24 RBI. Faling has had the hot bat as of late, hitting .417 with one long ball and seven RBI over her last four series. The catcher is hitting .320 this season with a team-high 25 RBI. Senior Laurel Palk is having a breakout year at the plate, hitting .318 and posting career-highs in hits (34) and runs (25).
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Justine Johnston leads a DC pitching staff that is ranked second in the HCAC with a 2.62 ERA, including a 2.04 ERA in conference contests. Johnston, a three-time HCAC Pitcher of the Week, leads the HCAC in shutouts with four, while posting a 13-6 record with a 1.96 ERA. The pitching staff is backed by the one on of the top defenses in the HCAC, which is ranked second in the conference in fielding percentage.
Defiance (19-16) will face No. 2 seed Bluffton in the opening round of the HCAC Tournament on Friday, May 2 at 3 p.m. The second round will begin at 5 p.m.
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