In the doubleheader today, the Bruins split with the Defiance College Yellow Jackets after winning Game 1 but falling in Game 2.

"Our pitching was on point that first game," Head Coach Kyle Morrison said. "Weaver kept us in the game the whole time he was in there. I'm so proud of him."

Game one was tight the whole way. Noah Weaver got the nod to start on the mound for the Bruins and pitched great! He faced several pressure situations, but he stayed calm each time and got out of several jams. The Yellow Jackets left 12 runners on base in this game; a lot of it because of the pitching by Weaver and the Bruins defense behind him.

It was Defiance that broke the 0-0 tie in the top of the fifth inning when they finally got a run in on an RBI double. Weaver got out of the inning with limited damage. The Bruins answered right back scoring three runs in the bottom of the fifth! The first run for the Bruins came after a Kyle Prouse groundball that resulted in an error at second base and David Medina scoring. This was followed by a 2-RBI single for Zay Brandt that scored Angelo Gomez and Prouse. 

"That knock by Zay was huge," said Coach Morrison.

The Bruins faced a little pressure in the top of the sixth inning, but again pulled through only giving up one more run. Headed into the seventh inning, the Bruins held a tight 3-2 lead. Gabe Swarms came out of the bullpen and struck out the final two batters of the game to close out the close win the Bruins.

"Swarms is really starting to solidify himself as our closer," said Coach Morrison. "He's worked hard in the weight room and he's running his fastball up into the upper 80s which is making him tough to hit off of.
 

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Game two was much different than game one. "The second game was a bummer," Coach Morrison said. "I thought our guys would come out ready to go and eager to jump on Defiance, however, it was the exact opposite."

The Yellow Jackets bats got hot and they did not leave runners on base like in game one. They scored four runs in the top of the first. Conley Burk answered back in the bottom of the first with an RBI single, but it stopped there. After that, the Yellow Jackets' lead continued to inflate. They scored six runs in the top of the second inning and three more runs in the top of the fourth to make it 13-1. The Bruins did have a small battle back with several pinch-hitters having quality at-bats.

The Bruins scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Sam Gearhart started things with a single followed by Malachi Major being hit by a pitch. Mac Carroll started the scoring of the inning with an RBI single. Bryson French was walked before Elijah Medrano cleared the bases with a double. The score was 13-5 headed to the fifth inning.

Defiance added four more runs in the fifth and the Bruins could only add two runs which wasn't enough to escape the 10-run mercy rule that was put in play. The game ended after five innings with a 17-7 Bruins loss. The mercy rule saves the arms for both teams' pitchers headed into the weekend.

The Bruins head to Johnson City, Tennessee this weekend to take on Alice Lloyd College in a weekend series. They play Friday at 1:00 p.m. followed by a doubleheader on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.