DC shrugs off shutout loss to earn gritty win over Madonna

LIVONIA, Mich. - After getting shut out 8-0 to start Saturday's doubleheader, the Defiance Yellow Jackets responded with a statement victory of 7-6 over the Madonna Crusaders at Ilitch Ballpark on Saturday.

The Yellow Jackets (9-16, 2-2 WHAC) remain .500 in conference play with the win over the Crusaders (20-7, 4-2 WHAC), who are receiving votes in the NAIA polls and had won 14 of 15. Saturday's win marked the baseball program's first-ever win against Madonna. Bradyn Shaw was the offensive feature for DC with a team-high 3 hits, including a double and a triple plus a walk. Anthony Silvera Jr. also reached base 4 times with a pair of hits and was hit by 2 pitches. The DC bullpen had a stellar day with a combined 5.1 innings of relief (James Mahon, Joseph O'Neil, Max Biernacki, and Andy Yoder) and allowed 3 total runs (2 earned) for a 3.38 ERA for the afternoon.

Game 1 - Madonna 8, Defiance 0
Madonna's Aamir Mitchell was a menace in the first game, going 4-for-4. He put the Crusaders on the board with an RBI double in the first to start a 3-run inning. In the third, he socked a solo homer to lead off the inning before 2 more runs came around on a double by Gus Simon. While Madonna added 3 more runs to close the game, starting pitcher Trey Acker silenced Defiance's offense with a complete-game shutout that featured 6 strikeouts and just 3 hits allowed. He retired the first 10 hitters he faced before plunking Silvera, but a double play kept him at the minimum through 4 innings. Bradyn Shaw broke up the no-hitter with a lead-off double in the fifth inning, while Connor Gephart and Elisa Marquez added single during the sixth.

Game 2 - Defiance 7, Madonna 6
DC's offense wasted no time in the second game, scoring all 7 runs in the first 3 innings. Defiance loaded the bases with two hit batters plus a single when Gephart and Jake Veverka worked bases-loaded walks. A third run for the Jackets scored on a double play but three more came in during the second frame. Dylan Barger set the table with a single and stolen base for Silvera to knock him home, then Shaw tripled him around and later scored on a squeeze play off Logan Rosenberger's bat. James Mahon added an RBI double after Veverka singled to begin the third frame to finish DC's scoring. The Jackets saw the leadoff hitter reach base in 6 of 9 innings and worked their way on base with 3 walks and 3 hit by pitch. DC starting pitcher Aiden Behrman turned in 5 fine innings, holding the Crusaders to 4 runs across 5 innings. Madonna scratched 2 across in the first and one in each the third and fifth frames, all centered around Mitchell's offense (3-for-3) aside from a solo homer by Kooper Etheridge in the fifth. Behrman handed the game over to Max Biernacki (1 IP, 1 R, 0 ER), Joseph O'Niel (2 IP, 1 R), and Andy Yoder (1 IP, 0 R, Save) who fended off the Crusaders the rest of the way to preserve his second win of the year. Madonna had traffic on the bases in each inning against the bullpen and had the tying run on second base before Yoder picked up a strikeout and game-ending flyout.

UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets continue their weekend trip to Michigan with two more conference games at Aquinas on Sunday. The first pitch against the Saints is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Meijer Sports Complex.

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