Jackets end season with victory at Rochester Christian
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 2 |
|
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1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | X | 7 | 6 | 2 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 12 | 1 |
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4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 11 | 4 |
ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. - Defiance College baseball concluded its 2026 season by splitting Saturday's doubleheader against Rochester Christian with a 7-4 loss and 18-10 victory at Bill Shinsky Field.
The Yellow Jackets ended the campaign 15-34, matching last season's overall win total while improving to 8-20 in the WHAC for the most conference wins in a season since 2019. With the offensive eruption in the second game that carried through much of the conference schedule, the 2026 Yellow Jackets broke the program record for runs scored (294) and doubles (78) in a season following Saturday's offensive output. The Warriors improved to 13-15 in conference play and earned the sixth seed in the WHAC Tournament.
Game 1 - Rochester Christian 7, Defiance 4
For the third straight game in the series, Defiance saw a lead slip away in the late innings. The Yellow Jackets marched into the bottom of the fifth with a 4-3 lead after a Kolbe VanderLeest RBI single. In the bottom of the inning, the Warriors posted 3 runs via a bases-loaded walk, a DC error, and a hit batter to capture the lead. Another Yellow Jacket error allowed another run to score with 2 outs in the sixth.
Game 2 - Defiance 18, Rochester Christian 10
Defiance erupted for 18 runs in the season finale, marking the team's ninth game scoring 10 runs or more. DC's 3-0 lead after the first half inning didn't stick as RCU went on to score 4 times in their half of the first. Dominic Jarjis put the Jackets back in front with a 3-run homer in the third, his second of the year, but Rochester Christian answered back with a 3-run blast of their own during a 4-run third.
The turnaround for the Yellow Jackets was ignited in the fourth inning when senior Justin Hall smashed his first college homer to tie the game at 9-9 in the fourth. His big knock was the spark the Jackets needed on both sides of the game as the bullpen combined for 5.2 1-run innings and the offense rallied for 9 more runs after Hall's signature senior moment.
Jack Brubaker-Flood went 2-for-6 with 2 RBIs and scored 3 times after he was 2-for-4 in the first game. Anthony Silvera Jr. drew 3 walks and was 1-for-3 in the second game. Connor Gephart and Rigley Hickman also enjoyed multi-hit games featuring doubles in the second contest. James Mahon earned the first winning decision in his college career while Devin Delzeith pitched the final 3 scoreless innings for his second save of the campaign.
-JACKETS-