ROSEMONT, Ill. — Jessica Bachtell had three hits and Sandra Rodriguez smacked a game-tying triple Saturday, but the Goshen College baseball team lost twice at the season-opening NAIA Leadoff Classic, dropping a 9-8 decision to the University of Michigan at Dearborn and falling 9-0 to Aquinas College.

Goshen scored six runs in the top of the seventh inning to pull level with UM-Dearborn in the opener and got within a strike of forcing extra innings before falling in the bottom of the seventh. Rodriguez and Ariel Denney each had two hits with Cassandra Espinoza scoring twice.

The Wolverines (2-4) opened the scoring in the first inning before Goshen answered with two in the top of the second. UMD tied the score in the bottom of that inning and plated two runs in each of the fourth, fifth and sixth before winning with one run and two left on base in the seventh.

Denney singled to drive in both runs in the second inning, a rally that started with two outs on a Rodriguez single to center. Espinoza then reached on a throwing error and both runners moved into scoring position for the 2-2 base hit that made it 2-1.

UMD scored its next six runs on six hits and an error over the following three innings, leaving the score 8-2 through six innings. The beautiful thing about softball is that there is no clock, however, and the game doesn't end until the 21st out.

Espinoza started the seventh inning with a walk, followed on the next pitch by a Denney single. Two wild pitches let the first run in and left Denney on third, joined by Jolie Groeneveld after a walk. That prompted a pitching change, but Goshen wasn't done as a Bachtell single drove in Denney to make it 8-4. Pinch-hitter Emily Cummings added an infield hit to close the gap to 8-5.

After a popup to second for the first out, a fielding error moved Cummings to second and sent Bachtell across the plate. Katherine Boyer flied out to right as the runners held, but Rodriguez tripled to clear the bases and leave the go-ahead run at third. A groundout ended the inning in an 8-8 tie.

UMD got a leadoff single before two quick outs, but another base hit advanced the runner to third. GC pitcher Rayna Moraga quickly went up no balls and two strikes on the Wolverine batter, but Gina Liss singled to right to send the Wolverine faithful home happy.

Moraga worked three innings in relief of Denney, who pitched 3 2/3. Each hurler allowed 6 hits and 2 walks.

Catcher Haley Tiseo had three hits for UMD, finishing a homer shy of the cycle. Aspen Starr doubled twice while Amber Cheplick singled, tripled and drove in two.

Madelin Skene allowed 4 hits and 5 runs in 6-plus innings of work in the circle: Samantha Torongeau pitched the final inning, allowing three runs on three hits, and got the win.

Bachtell led the Maple Leafs with two hits in the nightcap, but all seven hits were singles and no more than two came in the same inning. Aquinas scored six first-inning runs, adding one in the second and two in the fourth to trigger the 8-run rule once GC hit in the bottom of the fifth.

Kayla Fessenden went the distance for the shortened win for the Saints, who got four extra-base hits among their eight hits for the game. Izzy Dawson doubled twice and Brooke Wila laced a triple to go with two singles.

Goshen now sits idle for three weeks until the Maple Leafs' spring break trip takes them to Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma in the final week of February. The Maple Leafs will return to action at the Mustang Meltdown hosted by Central Baptist College in Conway, Arkansas, on Feb. 21.