Yellow Jacket Baseball Tops Trine in One-Run Game

ANGOLA, Ind. – The DC baseball team won its second game in as many days on Wednesday afternoon, as the squad traveled to Trine University for a non-conference matchup against the Thunder. The Jackets prevailed over Trine with a narrow 5-4 victory.

The Jacket bats got things started quickly for the Purple and Gold on the afternoon. Aaron Helland drew a leadoff walk to begin the opening frame and two batters later scored off a Darin Waterman double to left field. Patrick Masopust, the DC cleanup hitter, drove in Waterman with a single to give the Jackets an early 2-0 lead.

After being held scoreless in the first, the Thunder struck in the bottom of the second for two runs off three hits to tie the game up at two runs apiece.

Following the two-run second, starting pitcher Andy Habecker settled in and dealt four-consecutive scoreless innings. Habecker finished with a line of six innings pitched with five strikeouts, while giving up two runs on six hits without allowing a walk.

After a scoreless third inning, Defiance regained the lead in the fourth off three hits and a timely error that scored Jonathan Murphy to give the Jackets a 3-2 advantage.

The Purple and Gold added another run in the fifth, thanks to a solo homerun from Waterman. The junior has now hit a homerun in two-straight games and Waterman leads DC in the category with three on the season. The solo-blast increased the Jackets' lead to two runs at 4-2.

Defiance College stretched its lead to three in the top half of the sixth off a Chris Donese single to left field. The sophomore finished with three hits on the day, marking the sixth time this season Donese has recorded a multi-hit game.

The Thunder staged a comeback attempt in the late innings, as the home team scored one run in the seventh and another in the eighth to make the contest a one-run game. After drawing within one, the Jackets put in closer Alex Schomaeker to close the door on the Trine rally. The senior recorded the game's final five outs without allowing a hit to secure the DC victory. The save is Schomaeker's fourth of the season.

Offensively, Defiance was led by the heart of the order in Donese, Waterman and Masopust. The trio of hitters combined for eight of the team's 13 hits and drove in three runs.

The win moves the Yellow Jacket's record to 10-7 on the year and 9-4 in games played away from Craig Rutter Field. The team returns home on Friday, April 5 for the first of a three-game set against Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference foe Mount St. Joseph. The first pitch is scheduled for 4:15 p.m.