Ravens Sweep Defiance on the Road

The Anderson University baseball team won both games in a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) doubleheader against Defiance College in Defiance, Ohio.

Anderson (16-13, 8-4) took Game 1 by a score of 8-5 and topped the Yellow Jackets (7-20, 2-10) by a score of 7-6 in Game 2.

Game 1: Anderson 8, Defiance 5

The top of the first inning started with two singles for the Ravens from Grahm Reedy and Tyler Smitherman. Jed Downham followed up with a walk to load the bases for T.J. Price, who singled in two runs and gave the Ravens a 2-0 lead.

Defiance was able to get those two runs back to tie the game at two after the bottom of the second.

In the top of the fourth, Connor Gordon led off the inning reaching base on a fielding error and advancing to second. The next batter, Reedy, hit a single that scored Gordon on the play. Reedy advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored off of an RBI sacrifice fly from Justin Reed. The next batter, Smitherman hit a solo homerun to give the Ravens a 5-2 lead after the top of the fourth inning.

Defiance would get two of those runs back in the bottom half of the inning.

Justin Reed led off the top of the sixth with a single. Smitherman and Downham both reached base after being hit by a pitch. Two batters after Downham, Price singled up the middle scoring Smitherman and advancing Downham to second. After a pitching change for the Yellow Jackets, Brady Reed doubled down the left field line that scored Downham and ended the inning with the Ravens up 7-4.

In the top of the seventh, the Ravens would get one run by way of a solo home run from shortstop Justin Reed.

Defiance would score one more run in the bottom of the ninth but that wouldn't be enough from keeping the Ravens out of the win column in Game 1.

It was a three-pitcher effort for the Ravens to get the win. Landon Southern started the game and threw four full innings allowing four runs on three hits. Evan Doan (4-2) came in relief to earn his fourth win of the season and Logan Nickel threw the ninth inning to get his fourth save of the year.

Inside the Box Score

• Tyler Smitherman - 3-5, 3 Runs, 1 RBI, Homerun
• Justin Reed - 3-5, 2 RBI's, 1 Run, Homerun
• Grahm Reedy - 2-5, 2 Runs, RBI
• T.J. Price - 2-4, 3 RBI's
• Landon Southern - 4.0 IP, 4 K's, 3 Hits, 4 Runs 
• Evan Doan (W 4-2) - 4.0 IP, 4 K's, 4 Hits, 1 ER
• Logan Nickel (Sv 4) - 1 IP, 0 Hits, 0 Runs

Game 2: Anderson 7, Defiance 6

The Ravens started hot in Game 2 scoring four runs in the first inning. Leadoff batter Reedy led off with a single, Justin Reed followed it up with a single of his own, Reedy advanced to third on an error by the right fielder. Smitherman also hit a single in the inning, scoring Reedy. Jake Stank hit an RBI single that scored Justin Reed to make it a 2-0 Raven lead. Brady Reed reached by an error from the Defiance third baseman which scored Smitherman. The Raven bats were not done yet though as a Stephen Vickery single scored the fourth run of the inning stretching the lead to 4-0.

In the top half of the third, a one-out triple from Stank got things going for the Ravens. Price singled in Stank making it a 5-3 lead for the Ravens. Brady Reed singled into left center, advancing Price to third, setting up a sacrifice bunt for Vickery which scored Price made it a 6-3 lead for the Ravens.

Reedy started off the top of fourth with a double and advanced to third because of a fielding error by the right fielder. Two batters later, a Smitherman sacrifice fly would score the Ravens' last run of the game making it 7-3.

Defiance would go on to score one run in the fifth and two in the sixth inning but it wasn't enough to complete the comeback. 

Kasey Henderson (2-3) earned his second win of the year, going six complete innings. Nickel came back to pitch in Game 2, where he recorded his second save of the day and his fifth of the year to hold on to the win.

Inside the Box Score

• Grahm Reedy - 3-6, 2 RBI's, Double
• Jake Stank - 2-2, 2 Runs, Triple, RBI
• Tyler Smitherman - 2-4, 2 RBI's, Run
• Stephen Vickery - 2-4, 2 RBI's
• Kasey Henderson - W, 6 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 3 K
• Logan Nickel - SV, 3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K

Up Next

The Ravens host Wabash College (17-12) for Senior Day on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Don Brandon Field.