Yellow Jackets Sweep Past Penn State-Altoona

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla.  -- Five freshmen pitchers combined to limit Penn State-Altoona to eight runs in 14 innings of work and the DC offense rapped out 14 runs on 15 hits as the Yellow Jackets used a total team effort to score 10-5 and 4-3 victories over the Cougars on Wednesday afternoon.

Defiance doubled up PSA in the opener, 10-5, despite getting out hit by an 8-7 margin. DC never trailed, taking a 2-0 lead after the first inning and blowing the game open with six more in the second.

Patrick McKee picked up the win in his first collegiate start after tossing 5.2 innings. McKee limited Penn State-Altoona to five runs and struck out four Cougar batters.

The bullpen did the rest for DC as Matt Wilson earned the final out of the sixth before Tim Pitro closed the game with a pair of strikeouts in the seventh.

Six different Yellow Jackets picked up a hit and Chad Ballee led the parade with two hits and a pair of runs. Lenny Koesters scored twice and drove in a pair, while Kirk Jesse, Brad Timofeev and Mike Hill also knocked in two runs each.                

PSA jumped out to the early 3-0 lead in the second game before Defiance rallied to the lead with four runs in the fourth inning. Neither team would push another run across for the remainder of the afternoon as DC finished the sweep with a 4-3 victory.

Zane Teeters took the ball for his first collegiate start and worked into the fifth inning. Teeters allowed three runs and fanned three PSA hitters en route to earning his first career win.

The DC pen nailed down the victory with a one-two punch of Brandon Portales and Pitro. The duo combined for three scoreless frames and retired four Cougar batters on strikes. Pitro finished the game with a scoreless seventh to notch his first collegiate save.

Hill continued to swing a hot stick early into the 2007 campaign, adding three more hits to go with a pair of RBI, one run and two stolen bases. Jesse and Ron Martin picked up DCs other two RBI.

Defiance (3-4) will play two more games on Thursday as it takes on St. Mikes at 10:00 am.