Defiance, Ohio – Baseball traveled across the Midwest for a WHAC conference battle with Defiance. In game one the Golden Eagles dominated from start to finish as they won 13-3. Game two stood more of a challenge and took 11 innings to decide but the strong performance from Corbin Westerkamp made the difference in a 9-8 victory. The Golden Eagles next test comes against UNOH at home on Friday, April 18^th at 1pm and 3pm. 
 
Game One Recap: Cornerstone – 13 Defiance – 3

• Three batters struck the ball well but found no joy in the first inning as it remained scoreless after one. 
• The flood gates opened for the Golden Eagles in the 2^nd inning with Jack Gagliardi and DJ Phillips securing singles. 
• Michael Ruiz doubled to right center which drove in multiple runners as the Yellow Jackets could not stop the bleeding which resulted in a 6-0 Cornerstone lead after the 2^nd inning. 
• Defiance responded with some firepower of their own but still trailed 6-2 at the start of the 3^rd. 
• Matthew Kindley continued his strong stretch with another home run for the Golden Eagles in the top of the 4^th inning. 
• In the next inning it was all Cornerstone as Corbin Westerkamp kicked it off with a bomb over the back wall to keep the offense moving. 
• DJ Phillips, Michael Ruiz, and Grant DeRose all singled in the inning to cap off a six-run stretch for the Golden Eagles to lead 13-3. 
• Cornerstone closed out the strong game one performance with 15 total hits to cruise past the Yellow Jackets. 

Game Two Recap: Cornerstone – 9 Defiance – 8

• Defiance got the better of Cornerstone to start off game two as they managed to secure three first inning runs and take the early lead. 
• Luke Griffith kick started the Golden Eagles offense in the 4^th inning as they tallied one run to inch closer. 
• The spark of Luke Griffith continued in the top of the 6^th inning as he doubled to get the Golden Eagles in scoring position. 
• Corbin Westerkamp homered for the second time of the day which propelled Cornerstone into their first lead of game two at 5-3. 
• Defiance tied the ball game up in the bottom of the 7^th inning which set up a stellar finish. 
• Another strong inning for the Yellow Jackets took this game to 8-5 in favor of Defiance as Cornerstone had their work cut out for them to fight back in this game. 
• Strong at bats followed by a Corbin Westerkamp single allowed the Golden Eagles to battle back in the top of the 9^th inning making it 8-8. 
• Cam Keatley made all the difference in the top of the 11^th inning to give Cornerstone another lead in the contest. 
• Three strikeouts from the pitching squad secured the second win of the day as Cornerstone walked away with a sweep. 

By the Numbers:
3 – Cornerstone saw three balls leave the park today, two from Corbin Westerkamp and one from Matthew Kindley. 
19 – Cornerstone tallied 19 strikeouts across both games. 
25 – It was a field day from the plate as the Golden Eagles gathered 25 hits on the day. 

What's Next?
The Golden Eagles will return home for a battle against UNOH on Friday, April 18^th at 1pm and 3pm to resume conference play. 
 
Contact: Jonny Strube | jon.strube@cornerstone.edu
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