Jackets split Sunday at Cleary, salvaging final game of weekend series

HOWELL, Mich. - The Defiance Yellow Jackets bounced back from a 10-6 loss to start the day and defeated the Cleary Cougars 13-11 in Sunday's series finale at Lake Trust Stadium. 

The Yellow Jackets (10-21, 3-7 WHAC) snapped a 5-game slide while outslugging the Cougars (17-11, 7-5), who had won 6 of 7 through the first game on Sunday's twinbill.

Game 1 - Cleary 10, Defiance 6
The Yellow Jackets scored first and built a 4-0 lead but the Cougars answered with a 6-run fourth inning that allowed Cleary to clinch the series win. Cleary got on the board with a bases-loaded hit by pitch followed by a game-tying, 3-run double by Austin Vincent. Brendan Seman singled in Vincent to capture the lead before an RBI double by Brice Wesley capped off the big inning. DC's Jayden Stechschulte brought DC back to even with a 2-run single in the sixth, but the Cougars roared back a second time with a four-run bottom of the sixth.

Game 2 - Defiance 13, Cleary 11
Defiance closed the series on a high note in a back-and-forth game. Jack Brubaker-Flood slugged a solo homer to start Defiance's 4-run second inning. Cleary took the lead back with a 4-run third frame followed by 3 more runs in the fourth to take a 10-4 advantage. The rest of the day belonged to the Yellow Jackets as Defiance posted 9 more runs combined with 5 innings of 1-run relief by Dillon Johnson (Win, 2-2). Connor Gephart started the comeback with a base-loaded walk for his third RBI of the game, which closed a string of 4 straight walks by the Jacket offense. Logan Rosenberger then socked a 3-run triple to clear off the bases followed on a sacrifice fly by Bradyn Shaw to bring DC within one run. After Cleary got a run back in the sixth with a solo homer, Anthony Silvera Jr. socked a 2-run, game-tying single in the seventh ahead of Shaw's go-ahead, 2-out single moments later. Johnson worked around trouble in the eighth before getting an insurance run in the top of the ninth, and he dodged a single in a scoreless ninth to close out the win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• The Yellow Jackets reached 10 wins with the win in the series finale.
• DC's 9 walks were a season high for the team. The Yellow Jackets were also hit by 7 pitches as a team over the course of the doubleheader.
• Connor Gephart had a team-high 4 hits and drove in 3 runs. For the weekend, Gephart went 6-for-14 to lead the team in average.
• Anthony Silvera Jr. went 2-for-6 with 2 RBIs, scored 5 runs and walked 3 times during Sunday's action. He scored 4 times during the second game and worked 3 walks. In the 4-game series, Silvera had 5 hits and reached base 7 more times with walks and hit by pitches.
• Bradyn Shaw delivered multiple big hits and totaled a team-best 5 RBIs and went 3-for-7 in the two games on Sunday. He now leads the team with 25 RBIs this season after an 8 RBI weekend and went 6-for-14.
• Logan Rosenberger delivered 4 RBIs and went 1-for-3 with 2 walks in Game 2. He also had a pinch-hit 2-run knock in the first contest.
• Jack Brubaker-Flood's homer was his team-best 4th of the season. He went 2-for-2 and worked 2 walks while scoring 3 times in Game 2. In the series, Brubaker-Flood was 3-for-6 with a homer, triple, and walked twice.

UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets turn their attention to the Siena Heights Saints, who will travel to Defiance for a 4-game series on Friday and Saturday. Each doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m. at a site to be determined.

-JACKETS-