SPRING ARBOR, Mich. — Leah Herrman homered in the opener and knocked in the go-ahead run in the fourth inning of the second game as the Goshen College softball team split a doubleheader with Spring Arbor on Wednesday in Michigan. The Cougars claimed the first game 9-4 before Goshen rebounded to force a split with a 4-1 win.

The Cougars (14-18, 8-12 Crossroads League) scored most of their runs for the day in an eight-run third inning in game one, a frame that included seven hits and a Jade Nowe grand slam.

Goshen (13-24, 5-13) got itself on the scoreboard three batters later after three straight batters reached base to start the fourth: Herrman led off with a double before Courtney Crapser singled, with Taylor Sutliff bunting in the first run and Rianna Koteles knocking in another with a one-out single.

Brooke Maes took over in the pitching circle late in the third inning, retiring the first batter she faced to get out of the inning. After a Jordan Burman solo homer five pitches into the fourth, Maes retired nine of the last 11 Cougars she face.

Herrman's two-run shot came with one out in the seventh after a pinch-hit walk from McKinzi Vega: the freshman blasted a two-run shot to left-center to set the final score. She finished 3 for 4 at the plate, scoring twice and driving in two. Koteles also added two hits for GC.

Burman was the lone Cougar to hit safely multiple times, going 2 for 2 with a walk. Kelsey Brown tossed a complete-game 11-hitter, striking out six, and added two runs out of the leadoff spot at the plate.

Alexis Carpenter earned her seventh win of the season in game two, going the distance on 87 pitches and scattering six hits. Spring Arbor's lone run came in the seventh inning after GC had already scored four times: half of the Cougars' previous hits came in the second, when three straight balls up the middle loaded the bases before a groundout to the circle ended the threat.

Goshen didn't post a hit until the fourth before recording four singles in a five-batter span. Candace Sutter led off with a base knock, taking third on a Koteles hit and scoring on a Herrman bloop to center. Katherine Boyer loaded the bases with one away after another hit to center, but the insurance runs would have to wait for another two innings.

Herrman's sixth-inning sacrifice fly scored Cassandra Espinoza, who had started the inning with GC's first extra-base hit of the game. Boyer's second hit two batters later proved to be the charm, driving Koteles in from second on a ball that fell into right-center.

Brianna Sherman recorded a pinch-hit in the seventh as runner Taylor Sutliff scored the visitors' final run on another Espinoza double.

Boyer and Espinoza each led Goshen with two hits while Boyer paced all players with 13 putouts on defense.

Sydney Taylor had the lone extra-base hit, a double, for the Cougars as Lauren Heath fired a complete-game loss with eight hits. Neither pitcher allowed a walk.

Goshen returns home Thursday, closing three straight days of doubleheaders when the Maple Leafs face Grace at 3 p.m. at the John Ingold Athletic Complex.