Yellow Jackets Sports Weekly Recap (Feb. 20- Feb. 26)
By: Brandon Unverferth
Photography: Hanna Young
Softball: Sat. Feb. 25 and Sun. Feb. 26
2/25: Carroll University 3 (1-0), Defiance 0 (0-1) (Fontbonne Tournament)
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs | Hits | Errors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defiance | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Carroll | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 3 | 8 | 3 |
The Defiance College softball team traveled to Edwardsville, Illinois, Saturday afternoon to take on the Carroll Pios as a part of the opening day of the Fontbonne Tournament. Two of the three runs for the Pios came in the 2nd inning as junior Reagan Goluch advanced from the second base via an error, which also set up senior Abby Wimmer into scoring position at third base. The very next batter, sophomore Kaitlyn Reed singled to left field, which allowed Wimmer to score. The third run for Carroll came in the 6th inning as sophomore Antoinette Napoli singled through the right field to allow junior Sydney Raddeman to score from third base. Junior Savannah McCoy pitched all six innings in this contest for Defiance, in which she threw 88 pitches, including 62 strikes. Senior Josilyn Guzman recorded the lone hit for the Yellow Jackets.
2/25: Millikin University 6 (1-0), Defiance 1 (0-2) (Fontbonne Tournament)
***Statistical information is not available at this time for this matchup. Keep an eye on the Defiance College Athletics website in the coming days for more detailed information.***
When senior Marissa Roberts was asked by The Defender about her thoughts following the opening day of the Fontboone Tournament, she expressed, “I think it’s going to be a great season! We have a great connection, but we definitely have some little things we can fine tune. Overall, I’m excited to see the growth of this team this season.“
2/26: Monmouth College 6 (1-2), Defiance 5 (0-3) (Fontbonne Tournament)
***Statistical information is not available at this time for this matchup. Keep an eye on the Defiance College Athletics website in the coming days for more detailed information.***
2/26: Illinois College 2 (1-1), Defiance 1 (0-4) (Fontbonne Tournament)
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs | Hits | Errors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois Col. | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 |
| Defiance | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
The Yellow Jackets softball team finished up their trip to the Fontbonne Tournament with a matchup against the Illinois Lady Blues. The Lady Blues scored the first points of this contest in the 2nd inning, as freshman Brooke Loveall doubled to center field, which allowed sophomore Kayla Serpa to score from second base. Defiance would tie the game at one in the bottom of the 3rd inning, after junior Brooke Silcox singled to let senior Marissa Roberts tag home plate. At the top of the 5th inning, with bases loaded, Yellow Jackets’ pitcher (junior) Savannah McCoy walked junior Calynn Gicante, which allowed freshman Brooke Loveall to advance home (2-1). Both teams would struggle to find opportunities to score in the remaining two and a half innings, so the Lady Blues escaped with a 2-1 victory. Junior Savannah McCoy pitched all seven innings in this contest for Defiance, in which she threw 96 pitches, including 53 strikes. In the 5 hits for the Yellow Jackets, senior Marissa Roberts and junior Brooke Silcox each recorded two hits, while sophomore Destiny Coil had one.
Baseball: Sat. Feb. 25 and Sun. Feb. 26
2/25: Muskingum University 7 (1-1), Defiance 4 (0-1) (Xavier University)
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs | Hits | Errors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defiance | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 0 |
| Muskingum | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | X | 7 | 13 | 3 |
On Saturday afternoon, the Defiance College baseball team kicked off their 2023 season with a non-conference matchup against the Muskingum Fighting Muskies. This double-header affair was played at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Yellow Jackets jumped on Muskies starting pitcher (junior) Jaxon Rinkes for two runs in the top of the first inning before he settled in to toss three scoreless frames. With two on and two out, sophomore Jacob Hild singled home fellow sophomore Gunner Gregg and created another run shortly after on a steal of second base to draw a throw, while junior Trent Murdock punched his way home. Defiance could not push another run across the plate until the 7th inning. In the 7th, senior
Hunter Bostater ripped a double to left field, but Mudock was cut down at third base. Senior Austin Horning delivered the game-tying hit two batters later. Unfortunately, Horning was left on third when the inning ended. Muskingum answered back to load the bases on DC reliever (freshman)
Ethan Jenkins and the Muskies took the lead back via a sacrifice fly for the first out. Junior Ryan Schwartz ripped a two-run double to center a little bit later in the bottom of the 7th to plate the next two runs (6-3). After a hit batter by Jenkins, junior Johnny Hammerstein entered to close out the seventh inning, and he did as he stranded the bases loaded. Hammerstein pitched the 8th inning as well, while the Muskies grabbed an extra run (7-4). Senior Cohen Nies pitched the first six innings for the Yellow Jackets, as he finished with six consecutive scoreless innings after Muskingum led 3-2 after three innings. Junior Ryan Schwartz went 3-5 with three RBIs and three extra-base hits, while sophomore Weston Melick went 4-4 for the Muskies with a double and a pair of RBIs. A three-run 7th inning by Muskingum ended up being the difference in this contest, as the Muskies took home the Game 1 victory 7-4. Neither team’s pitching staff recorded a clean inning, as both teams combined for 23 hits and 12 walks. In the ten hits for the Yellow Jackets, senior Hunter Bostater and sophomore Gunner Gregg each recorded two hits, while senior Alex Morr, senior Austin Horning, senior Dylan King, junior Trent Murdock, sophomore Jacob Hild, and sophomore Tyler Dehan each recorded one hit a piece.
2/25: Muskingum University 5 (2-1), Defiance 4 (0-2) (Xavier University)
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs | Hits | Errors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defiance | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 3 |
| Muskingum | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 5 | 13 | 1 |
The Yellow Jackets baseball team wrapped up a doubleheader against the Muskingum Fighting Muskies on Saturday evening at Xavier University. Defiance punched in runs over four different innings in game two, including the top of the first and two home runs in the middle innings by junior Trent Murdock and sophomore Tyler Dehan. Sophomore Gunner Gregg set up the Yellow Jackets’ run in the first inning with a double and ended the third by giving Muskingum their lone error of the contest. Junior Trent Murdock flew out to center to bring Gregg in, which put Defiance ahead after a half-inning for the second game in a row (1-0). The Muskies put together three first-inning hits against Yellow Jacket starting pitcher sophomore Sam Thombs, including a two-run single by junior Ryan Schwartz to bring his RBI total to five on the day. Sophomore Tyler Dehan smacked a solo home run for Defiance with one out in the fifth inning, which cut the Yellow Jackets’ deficit to one (3-2). Muskingum would respond, though, as they posted a pair of two-out runs during the bottom of the fifth inning (5-2). Junior Quinten Collins connected on a two-out, bases-loaded single to plate two just before the final out of the inning was made at second base. The Yellow Jackets would add single runs in the sixth and seventh innings. Junior Trent Murdock bombed a solo home run in the sixth inning, while senior Josh Vischer signaled sophomore Tyler Dehan home after he doubled in the seventh. Defiance was able to leave Muskingum scoreless for the final three innings of the contest, but the two-run fifth inning ended up making the difference in the second game of the doubleheader, as the Muskies took the victory 5-4. In the 8 hits for the Yellow Jackets, sophomore Gunner Gregg recorded three hits, while sophomore Tyler Dehan had two. Senior Austin Horning, senior Josh Vischer, and junior Trent Murdock each recorded one hit a piece.
When senior Alex Morr was asked by The Defender about his thoughts following the season opening doubleheader against Muskingum, he expressed, “While it wasn’t the outcome that we wanted, we did show a lot of fight and composure this afternoon. I thought we played hard and gave it our all in both games.“
2/26: Kalamazoo College 8 (1-0), Defiance 2 (0-3)
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs | Hits | Errors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kalamazoo | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 11 | 1 |
| Defiance | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
The Defiance College baseball team hosted the Kalamazoo Hornets Sunday afternoon in non-conference action at Defiance High School. The Hornets were first to reach the scoreboard in the top of the 2nd inning, as freshman Daniel Beccari signaled to left field, which allowed sophomore Tanner Hawkins to score (1-0). Freshman Robert Newland pushed the Kalamazoo advantage to two, as he scored via an error moments later. At the bottom of the 4th inning, senior Hunter Bostater doubled to right center and this allowed junior Trent Mudrock to score for Defiance (2-1). The 5th inning saw three runs scored for the Hornets, as senior Harrison Poeszat, junior Lukas Bolton, and freshman Cam Kelly found their was to homeplate following a double, single, and a ground out. Sophomore Tyler Dehan scored the second run for the Yellow Jackets via a wild pitch. Junior Cooper Mills added to the Hornets lead in the 7th inning, as he scored following a double by senior Harrison Poeszat (6-2). Kalamazoo would tack on two more runs in the 9th inning, as freshman Liam Regan scored off a single by fellow freshman Cam Kelly and senior Harrison Poeszat stole home (8-2). Defiance pitchers junior Jeremy Russo, junior Johnny Hammerstein, freshman Joseph O’Neil, and freshman Ethan Jenkins all saw action this afternoon. In the 5 hits for the Yellow Jackets, senior Hunter Bostater, junior Trent Murdock, junior Mitchell Roever, sophomore Gunner Gregg, and sophomore Tyler Dehan each recorded one hit a piece.
Wrestling: Sat. Feb. 25 and Sun. Feb. 26
The Defiance College wrestling team traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, Saturday morning for the two-day NCAA Central Regionals Championship at Case Western Reserve University. Twenty schools competed in the NCAA Central Regionals Championship, including Case Western Reserve University, Adrian College, Albion College, Alma College, Baldwin Wallace University, Heidelberg University, Hiram College, John Carroll University, Manchester University, Mount St. Joseph University, Mount Union University, Muskingum University, Ohio Northern University, Ohio Wesleyan University, Olivet College, Otterbein University, Trine University, Wabash College, and Wilmington College. Defiance finished in 17th place as a team with a combined score of 10. In the 141 weight class, sophomore Kliever Joseph lost to Ohio Northern sophomore Jacob Reed in the opening-round matchup, which sent him to the loser’s side of the bracket. Joseph would pick up a consolation victory over Manchester freshman Landen Dilley, before he would lose in the second round of the consolation bracket to Case Western Reserve freshman Art Martinez. In the 149 weight class, junior Shamique Bryant lost to John Carroll sophomore Kale Buckiso, which sent him to the loser’s side of the bracket. Bryant lost the first round matchup against Manchester freshman Keagan Mabie to end his tournament run. In the 157 weight class, senior Alejandro Castro lost the opening round matchup to Ohio Northern sophomore Teagan Hendricks, to send Castro to the loser’s bracket. Castro would pick up three victories in the loser’s side of the bracket, before he lost to Case Western Reserve sophomore Calvin Cai. In the 165 weight class, senior Keringten Martin lost two straight matchups against Albion College freshman Brixton Bright and Case Western Reserve senior Mitchell Arch. In the 174 weight class, senior Jack Minner picked up the victory over Case Western Reserve freshman John Conover in the opening round matchup, before he went on to beat Mount St. Joseph freshman Noah Johnson in the second round. Minner would lose to Ohio Weselyan senior Jaret Lowry in the third round. Minner would also lose in the loser’s bracket to Olivet College senior Owen Guilford. In the 184 weight class, sophomore Joey Perez lost two straight matches to a Heidelberg and Trine wrestler. In the 197 weight class, freshman Kelvin Ruffin also lost two straight matches to a Trine and Mount Union wrestler. In the heavyweight (285), senior Rigo Villa lost to Olivet junior Donovan King in the opening round and then lost to Mushingum senior Noah DeHainaut in the loser’s bracket.
Women’s Track & Field: Sat. Feb. 25
The Yellow Jackets women’s track & field team traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio, Saturday afternoon for the HCAC Conference Indoor Championships at Mount St. Joseph University. Ten schools competed in the HCAC Conference Indoor Championships, including Mount St. Joseph University, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Manchester University, Earlham College, Hanover College, Franklin College, Transylvania University, Bluffton University, and Anderson University. Defiance finished in 7th place as a team. Senior Lisa-Maria Markau won the 400 meter dash with a time of 1:01.50. This effort was also a new personal best for Markau. Freshman Shyla Pemberton also competed in the 400 meter dash, where she finished in 7th place with a time of 1:04.20. Markau also finished in 2nd place in the 200 meter dash with a time of 26.62.
Men’s Track & Field: Sat. Feb. 25
The Defiance College men’s track & field team traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio, Saturday afternoon for the HCAC Conference Indoor Championships at Mount St. Joseph University. Ten schools competed in the HCAC Conference Indoor Championships, including Mount St. Joseph University, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Manchester University, Earlham College, Hanover College, Franklin College, Transylvania University, Bluffton University, and Anderson University. Defiance finished in 10th place as a team. The 4×200 meter relay team of junior Daniel Budwah, sophomore Gavin Maratea, freshman Marlon Brown, and freshman Isaac Miler finished in 5th place with a time of 1:33.96. Freshman Marlon Brown finished in 4th place in the 400 meter dash with a time of 51.08, while sophomore Gavin Maratea recorded a time of 56.85 seconds, a new personal best. Senior Ja’Qway Janvier completed the 60 meter dash in 7.08 seconds, which was good for a 5th place finish. Freshman Landon Sensmeier set a new personal best in the 200 meter dash with a time of 26.82 seconds.
Women’s Golf: Sat. Feb. 25 and Sun. Feb. 26
The Yellow Jackets women’s golf team traveled to Joelton, Tennessee, Saturday morning for the two-day Music City Shootout at Nashville National Golf Links. Nine schools competed in the Music City Shootout, including Mount St. Joseph University, Otterbein University, Ohio Northern University, St. Mary of the Woods College, Manchester University, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Bluffton University, and Hanover College. Defiance finished in 7th place as a team with a combined score of 758. Otterbein University took home the team victory with a combined score of 626. Sophomore Isabelle Vance was the highest finishing golfer with a 28th place finish (186), while freshman Cassady Van Dyke finished in 32nd (188). Senior Mari Najar finished in 35th with a score of 190, while sophomore Winter Boroff finished in 38th with a score of 194. Junior Taylor Greilich was the fifth and final Yellow Jackets’ golfer, and she finished 47th with a score of 209.
Away
Friday, Mar. 3
Men’s Track & Field at Ohio Northern University (Polar Bear Final Qualifier)
(TBA)
Women’s Track & Field at Ohio Northern University (Polar Bear Final Qualifier)
(TBA)
Saturday, Mar. 4
Men’s Track & Field at Ohio Northern University (Polar Bear Final Qualifier)
(TBA)
Women’s Track & Field at Ohio Northern University (Polar Bear Final Qualifier)
(TBA)
Softball (0-4) at Hope College (1-2)
(1:00 pm)
Softball (0-4) at Hope College (1-2)
(3:00 pm)
