UPLAND, Ind. — Clinton Stroble II picked up his 200th career hit as part of a 3-for-5 day Friday as Goshen College topped Mount Vernon Nazarene University 7-3 in the opening round of the Crossroads League baseball tournament at Taylor University's Winterholter Field.

Braedon Evans struck out a game-high 7 batters and Ben Longacre, Jason Grooms and Kody McGuire each added 2 hits for the seventh-seeded Maple Leafs (19-27).

Goshen scored three times in the seventh inning and four in the eighth, out-hitting the Cougars 13-6 in the process while holding Mount Vernon Nazarene without an extra-base hit. Chris Kline and Brandt Miller had singles for the Cougars.

MVNU (36-16) scored the game's first run in the third inning after Toby Walker's leadoff single. A walk and a wild pitch moved the freshman to third base, where he scored on a groundout to take a 1-0 lead.

Goshen avoided further damage by setting down 11 of the next 12 Cougars, moving the game into the seventh inning, but didn't get on the board itself until the very end of that span.

Brighton Schofield led off the seventh inning with a single, prompting MVNU to call the bullpen for a relief pitcher. After Colby Malson bunted the runner into scoring position, a quartet of Maple Leaf baserunners reached base in succession with Stroble and Logan driving in runs. Austin Bontrager hit into a fielder's choice to score the third run and start an inning-ending double play.

The Cougars nearly tied the game in their half of the inning, getting a pair of single-and-error combinations to score one run and put the second man on third base, but Goshen reliever Colton Daniel got a groundout to strand the tying run 90 feet away.

With the lead still intact, Goshen tacked on four insurance runs in the eighth to deny Malson a save. After a Grooms leadoff double, Kody McGuire singled and Schofield walked to load the bases. The next four batters all drove in runs, with Anthony Todaro and Mitchell Wilson recording sacrifice flies to bookend hits by Stroble and Ben Longacre, before a popout ended the inning.

Mount Vernon Nazarene went down without a hit in each of the last two innings.

The victory moved Goshen into the winners' bracket for the second time in three seasons and gave the team its fourth straight campaign of 19 or more wins.

The Maple Leafs will take on third-seeded Marian University at 1 p.m. Saturday. Mount Vernon Nazarene will meet Spring Arbor in an elimination game at 10 a.m.