GOSHEN, Ind. — The Goshen College baseball team continued its quest for a Crossroads League win over the weekend, coming up empty in four games against the Wildcats of Indiana Wesleyan University.
Peyton Smith, Morgan Baker and Reece Willis each had hits in three of the four games for the Maple Leafs while Camm Nickell and Tylor Anderson each picked up their first career hits. Kyle Staelgraeve added a complete-game quality start on the mound Friday afternoon.
Friday afternoon: Indiana Wesleyan 10, Goshen 0
Baylee Young drew the series-opening start for the Maple Leafs and pitched into the seventh inning, allowing 4 earned runs and striking out 4 batters in nearly 4 complete trips through the order.
Each team got three hits in the first two innings but failed to score and the Wildcats (18-8, 12-0) broke through first in the top of the third. Colby Jenkins doubled to left to plate a pair of runs before Tanner Killian singled him home to create a 3-0 lead.
Lucas Goodin added a two-run single in the fifth inning before the Wildcats scored three times on bunts in a four-run seventh inning. The final run came on a bases-loaded walk in the ninth.
IWU starter Jon Young struck out 11 batters in 6 shutout innings while Braedon Norman and Harrison Dubois worked the last three innings. Bobby Garcia and Gabe Kermode pitched in relief for GC.
Friday evening: Indiana Wesleyan 4, Goshen 1
In the closest game of the weekend, the Maple Leafs left the go-ahead run on base once and the tying run at the plate a second time while Killian added a 2-run homer for the Wildcats.
After the teams combined for one hit in the first three innings, Denver Blinn led off the fourth with an IWU double. Killian singled him home before scoring on a squeeze play to double the lead.
Goshen got a run back when Willis singled home Peyton Smith in the bottom of the inning, leaving runners on first and third before a strikeout ended the rally.
Killian's homer made it 4-1 in the sixth before GC brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the frame after an error and a walk.
Staelgraeve threw 93 pitches in the loss, striking out 5. Austin Swift struck out 5 in 5 innings on the way to the win for the Wildcats and Max Engstrom threw 2 hitless innings for the save.
Saturday afternoon: Indiana Wesleyan 18, Goshen 1, 7 innings
The Wildcats scored in every inning as Hunter Hoffman and Parker Johnson limited the Maple Leaf offense to three singles in the third game of the series. Hoffman struck out 10 batters and allowed the lone run in the win.
Tye Thixton led off the game with a home run and IWU completed the cycle in the second inning with a double, triple and bunt single to make it 3-0 before Goshen turned a double play to get out of the inning.
Brighton C. Schofield gave the Maple Leafs their first hit of the day with an RBI single in the bottom of the second as he knocked in Baker.
The Wildcats plated two runs in the third and one each in the fourth and fifth, going up 7-1, before tacking on 11 over the last two innings to extend the lead into run-rule territory.
Goshen's pitchers allowed 11 hits and 6 earned runs in the game. Kade Gorman recorded almost half of the outs, going 3 1/3 innings.
Thixton, Lucas Goodin and MJ Stavola each had two hits to lead IWU. Goodin doubled while Stavola tripled and drove in three runs.
Saturday evening: Indiana Wesleyan 15, Goshen 2
Jake Engelkes threw 5 shutout innings for the Wildcats before Goshen scored a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the seventh. Nickell matched him with 7 strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings of work but the Wildcat offense outdid the Maple Leafs once again.
Baker and Keegan Kwong had scoreless outings on the mound for GC, which again used five pitchers. Ryan Glithero and Anderson drove in runs when they were hit by pitches with the bases loaded.
Jeff Morton's double scored a run in the top of the first before Jenkins homered to quadruple the lead in the third inning. A Blinn double made it 5-0 in the fourth before the Wildcats scored thrice in the fifth and seven times in the sixth.
Goshen scored without the benefit of a hit in the seventh when Nate Lange reached on an error and Will Carpenter and Austin Bontrager each worked walks before the parade continued with hit batters.
Blinn, Jenkins and Stavola all had 3 hits for the Wildcats, who recorded nine extra-base hits.
Up Next: Goshen plays a non-conference doubleheader at home against Siena Heights University on Wednesday, March 24. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. EDT.
