MARION, Ind. — Late-inning softball left sour tastes in the mouths of the Goshen College Maple Leafs on Tuesday night as the Indiana Wesleyan University Wildcats posted a pair of walk-off wins, sweeping the first conference doubleheader of the season by scores of 8-7 and 5-4.

The Maple Leafs (6-12, 0-2) turned a 4-1 deficit into a 7-4 lead in the opener, turning a hit batter into a run in the fifth inning before flipping the score with a 5-run sixth. Ri Koteles led off the inning with a homer, trimming the margin to 4-3, before two walks and a Cass Espinoza single loaded the bases with one out. Edith Vega added the game-tying single with two down before Jessica Bachtell cleared the bases with a double.

Indiana Wesleyan (17-5, 2-0) started its comeback with three straight one-out singles in the bottom of the seventh, tying the score when Kira Madl beat the relay throw on what would have been a game-ending double play. In extra innings, two singles set up an Addie Benham fielder's choice that scored Lauren Buckley for the walk-off win.

Bachtell and Espinoza were the two Maple Leafs to post multiple hits: Matthews scored twice out of the leadoff spot and Bachtell drove in 4 runs. Rebecca Schrad led all players with 3 of IWU's 12 hits while Miranda Wehrle drove in 4. Both starting pitchers, GC's Emily Cummings and IWU's Mckenzey Ridge, struck out 5 in complete games.

Goshen led throughout the nightcap with the Wildcats pulling in front for the first time on the final play. Leah Herrman's single and Cummings' sacrifice fly gave the Maple Leafs a 2-0 lead through two innings before Herrman added a 2-run homer to double the margin in the top of the fourth.

Indiana Wesleyan got back single runs in the fourth and fifth innings, with Trinity Medina scoring an unearned run in the fourth and driving in the second run with a two-out triple in the fifth. After the Maple Leafs had a pair of potential insurance runs cut down at the plate, IWU tied the score behind two doubles and a Madl single in the sixth.

Following a leadoff hit batter in the seventh and final inning, IWU brought the winning run home on two singles and an error.

Herrman paced the Maple Leaf offense with a 3-for-3 showing including 3 of the four RBI. Cummings added a pair of hits. Medina scored twice and was one of four Wildcats with 2 hits.

The Maple Leafs keep their irons in the fire with another trip to Grant County scheduled for Wednesday; Goshen visits Taylor University in a 4 p.m. doubleheader that was postponed twice. The games were originally scheduled to be each team's conference openers last Monday.