GOSHEN, Ind. — Ben Longacre's second home run of the season highlighted the first inning for the Goshen College baseball team in a 10-3 loss to Taylor University as the Maple Leafs opened their Crossroads League season Thursday on J. Harold "Sarge" Yoder Field at the John Ingold Athletic Complex.

Longacre and Mitchell Wilson each had a pair of hits to lead the Goshen offense, but GC's only other safe hit was a third-inning Colby Malson single. Longacre, Wilson and Reese Whelen all drove in runs.

Kade Gorman got the start for the Maple Leafs (5-11, 0-1) and lasted 3 2/3 innings before giving way to Kyle Staelgraeve, who pitched the final 5 1/3. Staelgraeve struck out 6 men, allowing a single run on four hits.

Taylor (13-2, 1-0) outhit Goshen 17-5, getting seven extra-base hits including a double and a home run from Nick Rusche and two doubles from Matt Dutkowski. Conner Crawford went 5 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 3 runs batted in out of the cleanup spot. Five players had multiple hits and four players scored more than one run, led by TJ Bass with 3 runs scored.

Luke Shively got the win after allowing 3 runs on 4 hits through 5 innings, striking out 7 but walking 6 on 113 pitches. Tucker Waddups struck out 4 men, allowing just a hit and a walk in 4 innings to get the save.

Taylor scored twice on four hits, including a pair of doubles, in the first inning before Longacre's solo shot in the bottom of the frame made it 2-1. Rusche's 2-run shot and a Crawford 2-run single stretched the lead to 6-1 by the middle of the second.

Malson and Wilson bookended Longacre's walk with doubles in the second inning, plating a run and closing within 6-2 before Peyton Smith's walk loaded the bases. Whelen grounded out to score the lead runner but GC went 0-for-2 with the tying run at the plate.

Taylor responded with another big inning in the top of the fourth, plating 3 runs on 4 more hits, and added an insurance run in the eighth on a Rusche double and Crawford's fifth hit of the day.

The teams waited out a 15-minute rain delay in the top of the ninth inning before getting the final four outs.

Goshen and Taylor will reconvene Saturday to conclude their series with a doubleheader at the Sarge. Because daylight saving time has not yet taken effect, the teams will begin play an hour earlier than usual at noon EST.