OAKLAND CITY, Ind. — Nate Lange had a two-hit showing in the second game of Saturday's season-opening doubleheader, but the Goshen College baseball team dropped both games of its twinbill at Oakland City University by margins of 4-0 and 8-0 on Pinnick Field.
Four Maple Leaf relievers combined to throw 5 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run out of the bullpen, but the offense struggled to get untracked on a 40-degree day in southwestern Indiana.
The Mighty Oaks (2-0) got a pair of strong starting performances as Tristen Cummings struck out 12 of the 19 men he faced in six innings of work in the opener and Justin Hallum gave up two hits and a walk in five shutout innings in the nightcap.
Oakland City got on the board first after a pair of singles and a double steal in the first inning before Connor Oxley laced an RBI single in the fourth to double the lead.
The remaining two runs came in the fourth inning without the benefit of a hit thanks to two walks, a wild pitch and a passed ball.
Char Reeves posted Goshen's first hit of the season when he led off the fourth inning with a bunt. All five hits in the game were singles.
Kyle Staelgraeve struck out 6 men in 3 2/3 innings before being lifted as he neared 70 pitches. Eric Pettipiece finished that inning with a popup before Baylee Young struck out two men and got flyouts from the other four he faced.
Victor Alvarez led the hosts offensively with two singles and two steals; Cummings got the win after six shutout innings and Will Davis worked a perfect seventh.
In the second game, Oakland City jumped to a 6-0 lead through three innings on the strength of five singles and a double. Tanner Singleton's double in the fifth put two men into scoring position and both of them later scored after a throwing error.
The Maple Leafs (0-2) threatened to score in the fourth when Lange led off with a double and Peyton Smith put a ball in play to reach on an error, but Hallum worked out of the jam by setting down the next three batters to escape with the lead.
Lange added another leadoff hit in the sixth, moving to second base on a balk and taking third on a fly to right, but watched the rally fizzle from 90 feet away as reliever Garrett Whiteker struck out the next man.
Alvarez was 3 for 3 with 2 runs scored to lead the hosts; Evan Creager worked the only walk of the day for Goshen.
Colton Daniel finished the game on the mound for by allowing one hit in two innings.
Goshen is scheduled to resume its season on Wednesday, Feb. 17, at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois. That doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m. EST. Please note that the schedule is always subject to change because of weather or Bigfoot sightings, especially in the Midwest in February, and stay tuned to GoLeafs.net for the latest developments.
