Softball ends regular season with Senior Day games against Franklin

Defiance, Ohio - The Defiance College softball team closed out their regular season schedule Sunday afternoon against Franklin at Defiance High School. Prior to the game, the seven seniors were recognized - Madison Pueschel, Alivia Kruczkowski, Hunter Schwochow, Marissa Roberts, Camryn Bekkering, Josilyn Guzman, and Lily Linke.

The Yellow Jackets dropped both games by scores of 4-2 and 11-4. Franklin finishes the regular season 28-12 overall and 11-5 in the HCAC. Defiance finishes with a 7-9 mark in conference play and 16-22 overall.

Game 1

Franklin 4, Defiance 2

The two teams went scoreless for the first 2.5 innings. An Ali Mowen RBI single scored Jessie Leggett with two outs. On the same play, Marissa Roberts tried to score but was thrown out at home plate to end the inning. 

Riley Alcorn (L, 1-3) retired the first nine batters she faced before a leadoff walk from Franklin leadoff hitter Sydney Rodeghier to begin the fourth inning. 

Defiance would continue to cling to a 1-0 lead but the Franklin offense came alive in the sixth to take a 3-1 lead. Alcorn retired the leadoff hitter in the inning but the Grizzlies followed with four straight batters reaching via the single. Destiny Coil homered in the bottom of the inning to cut the deficit in half. 

Franklin would tack on one insurance run in the seventh and Savanah Bergman, Amber Krause, and Natalee Cooper were retired in order to end the game.

Alcorn went 5.1 innings, allowed three earned runs and struck out one. Anika Craft pitched the final 1.2 innings and was tagged with two hits and one earned run. Roberts, Coil, and Guzman each had two hits in the game.

Franklin starter Sydney Pitts (W, 10-8) went the distance and allowed eight hits with two earned runs allowed. 

Game 2

Franklin 11, Defiance 4

It was all Franklin in this one from the get go. After the Yellow Jackets turned a double play in the first inning, the Grizzlies had six straight hits and took a 4-0 lead, forcing Hunter Schwochow (L, 0-1) to be pulled from the game. 

The Grizzlies' lead would swell to 9-0 in the fifth inning. Down 9-0 and down to their last out, the Yellow Jackets plated three runs in the bottom of the fifth to extend the game. Brooke Silcox singled home Anika Craft and Destiny Coil doubled home Silcox and Jessie Leggett. 

Franklin would add two more in the seventh and the final Defiance run came on a Brooke Silcox triple. 

Hunter Schwochow got her first start of the year and allowed four earned runs on six hits in 0.2 innings. Savannah McCoy went 5.1 innings and allowed nine runs with seven being earned, nine hits and two strikeouts. Riley Alcorn pitched 1.0 innings and struck out one. 

Madison Pueschel, Savanah Bergman, Camryn Bekkering, and Genesis Brooks all got starting nods in this one. Bergman and Pueschel went hitless in the game while Brooks and Bekkering had one hit each. Silcox was the only one to record multiple hits and the one hit from Marissa Roberts was a double and she has now tied the career doubles record with 44.

The Yellow Jackets will next get prepared for the upcoming HCAC tournament scheduled for May 11 - May 14. Location and opponents are TBD.