MOUNT VERNON, Ohio — The Goshen College softball team picked up its first conference win of the 2019 season Saturday afternoon, topping Mount Vernon Nazarene University 7-3 before losing the second game of the doubleheader 11-9.

The Maple Leafs (7-14, 1-4) put the opener out of reach early, scoring four times in the second and twice in the third. Sandra Rodriguez and Leah Herrman each had two-run hits as Goshen gave Emily Cummings 6 runs on 8 hits by the end of their third inning.

 Mount Vernon Nazarene (8-6, 2-1) left the bases loaded while pushing across their first run of the day in the fourth inning before Goshen added an insurance run after Ri Koteles' leadoff hit in the fifth.

The Cougars scored twice on a pair of singles after two leadoff walks in the sixth inning, bringing the tying run to the plate, but relief pitcher Rayna Moraga started her first save of the season by inducing a double-play grounder to third. The Cougars added a two-out single in the seventh, but came no closer to tying the game.

Herrman and Cassandra Espinoza each recorded a pair of hits to spark the Goshen offense, with Herrman and Rodriguez blasting doubles. Cummings picked up the win in the circle after 5 1/3 innings of work.

The teams scored in spurts in the nightcap, with Goshen taking a 3-0 lead through an inning and a half before MVNU answered with 11 runs and Goshen retaliated with the final 6.

Herrman doubled and Rodriguez tripled for the Maple Leafs, who got multi-hit games from four players, and Cummings drove in 3 runs as the designated player while going 2 for 4.

Mount Vernon Nazarene rapped 16 hits, getting three apiece from Jennifer Kurelic and Mackenzie Huey along with three two-hit performances. Kurelic drove in two runs, the only Cougar to get more than one on that front.

Hannah Grimes worked 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief for the Maple Leafs.

Goshen returns to the John Ingold Athletic Complex for its first home games of the season this week, hosting Bethel for a doubleheader at 3 p.m. Tuesday and Marian at 3 p.m. Friday.