Baseball splits with Coast Guard to wrap spring trip

FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Defiance College Baseball team wrapped up its spring trip to Florida on Friday with a split in a doubleheader against the United States Coast Guard Academy.

The two teams combined for heavy offensive numbers on the day, totaling 33 runs in just 14 innings.

The Yellow Jackets (6-4) topped Coast Guard (3-6) in game one by a 9-7 score. Defiance piled on seven runs in the first two innings to take control of the game and the Yellow Jackets bullpen stepped up to hold onto the win for DC.

Chris Donese scored on a Pat Masopust fielder's choice to start the scoring. Gary Levengood quickly followed with a two-RBI single to score Masopust and Darin Waterman. Ryan Kohlhofer then drew a bases loaded walk to add the fourth run of the inning, while Aaron Helland was hit by a pitch in the next at bat, plating DC's fifth run of the opening frame.

After the Coast Guard answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first, Defiance plated a pair of runs via a pair of bases loaded walks from Zack Reed and Kohlhofer. In the sixth inning, Defiance plated a pair of much needed insurance runs when Matt Staels hit a two-RBI single to center field, scoring Joel Musser and Levengood.

Aarong Grasing picked up the win in relief, pitching 3.2 innings of scoreless baseball. Chris Douglas earned his first save of the year.

In game two, Defiance again went ahead early with five runs in the first three innings. Masopust had an RBI double for the first run and Quinten Harrington had RBI singles in the first and then to start the third inning.

Harrington then scored on a Zach Reed fielder's choice before Brandon Riley capped the great start by tagging up to score on a Kohlhofer sacrifice fly.

Defiance carried the 5-0 lead into the top of the seventh, but with the game on the line, Coast Guard put together a six run rally to take a one un lead. The Yellow Jackets answered as Helland scored on a Musser single to tie the game at six and send it to extra innings.

However, the Coast Guard had another big inning in the eighth, plating four runs. The Yellow Jackets could only respond with one run in the bottom of the inning, falling 10-7.

DC will return to action Tuesday with a game scheduled for a 4:00 p.m. start in Ada, Ohio at Ohio Northern.