WINONA LAKE, Ind., and SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Rianna Koteles broke the Goshen College record for triples in a softball career Wednesday in a loss to IU South Bend as the Maple Leafs went 1-3 in four games this week.
Koteles lashed her ninth career triple in the top of the first inning of the second game Wednesday at Dick Pfeil Field in South Bend, breaking a tie with Krysten Parson '02 at the top of the all-time list.
She scored a batter later to give Goshen (12-12) a 1-0 lead over IU South Bend. The Titans (5-9) came back to tie the score in the bottom of the third inning, then scored in the fourth to sweep the Maple Leafs a day after Grace (2-20) walked off in the twilight at Coach Phil Dick Field in Winona Lake.
Tuesday, game 1: Goshen 8, Grace 5 (box score)
Mia Pawelski went the distance in the pitching circle, taking the win for Goshen while also getting a hit at the top of the batting order. The Maple Leafs took the lead with a 3-run third inning with a Koteles fielder's choice, a Bernadette Quintero groundout and a Stacey Landry single scoring the runs.
Grace got a run back in the bottom of the frame on a Jaden Cardoso single, but Cassandra Espinoza added a run-scoring hit in the fifth to put the Leafs back up 5-1. Jolie Groeneveld added a triple in the sixth and scored a batter later to run the lead to 6-1 before a bases-loaded walk and a Bela Aros single scored runs in the top of the seventh.
Grace added a pair of home runs in its last two trips to the plate, getting a solo shot from Jessica Kaurich in the sixth and a 3-run jack from Britney Young in the seventh. The Lancers also brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh after a single and a walk, but Pawelski struck out the last batter to get the win.
Espinoza singled thrice and Groeneveld had two hits for the visitors while Kaurich added three hits and Cardoso two for Grace. Dori Knight, Madison Bremer and Olivia Bergman pitched for the Lancers.
Tuesday, game 2: Grace 9, Goshen 8 (box score)
Goshen racked up a 7-0 lead before sending Quintero to the mound in the second game before the Lancers scored four runs off her and five off the bullpen to salvage a doubleheader split.
Ashley Glazer's 3-run homer, Groeneveld's 2-run single and Espinoza's 2-run double put the visitors up 7-0 after half an inning and Rayna Moraga homered to add an eighth run in the top of the fifth. By that point, though, Grace had plated four runs of its own, getting a two-run two-bagger from Cassandra Hayes and RBI hits from Bethany Gardner and Ellis.
The Lancers closed the gap to 8-6 on a Lakyn Lowe homer in the bottom of the fifth before Carly Ruiz doubled with one out in the bottom of the seventh to make it 8-7. Two walks loaded the bases before a bases-loaded hit batter tied the game and a wild pitch ended it.
Groeneveld had 3 hits, including the triple, and Pawelski singled and doubled for Goshen. Gardner, Young, Lowe and Ruiz added 2 hits for the hosts. Each team smacked 6 extra-base hits.
Alexis Bergman took the win for Grace, coming in to start the second inning and allowing 1 run on 7 hits.
Wednesday, game 1: IU South Bend 5, Goshen 1 (box score)
Shelby Baker's 3-run triple in the bottom of the first opened the scoring for the Titans and that was all the run support that Becca Stevens and Nichole VanZant needed to finish the job in the circle. Stevens went 5 scoreless innings and struck out 7 before VanZant allowed 2 walks and a hit in the final 2 innings.
IUSB added a run in the second on a Kat Bessler single and in the third on a double steal by Emily Cave and Olivia Zarantonello. Goshen got its first hit, a Koteles single, in the fourth, and scored on Koteles' RBI single in the sixth before ending that inning on a stolen base attempt.
Bessler and Savanna Schmitz each had two hits for IUSB.
Wednesday, game 2: IU South Bend 13, Goshen 6 (box score)
The second game began Wednesday night at just after 7 p.m., and while Veterans Memorial Park has lights for night competition, the weirdness seemed to fall along with the darkness as the teams combined to post innings of 4, 6 and 7 runs.
Goshen went first, starting the game with four straight baserunners including two triples and three errors. Pawelski tripled to drive in Regan Sheipline, then scored herself on Koteles' record-breaking hit. Koteles scored on a Quintero single and Olivia Gibson knocked Quintero in for a 4-0 lead. Pawelski also doubled in the second to knock in Groeneveld, while Gibson scored on a Bela Aros hit in the third for a 6-0 lead.
The IUSB offense took over at that point, getting a MacKenzie Myers homer and a two-run Kaylee Darnell single to tie the game in the third before GC nabbed a runner at the plate to end the inning. Emily Anglin put the home side on top with a triple in the fourth before a wild pitch, two errors and three walks did the rest of the damage.
Goshen had baserunners in every inning the rest of the way, but could not solve Macie Couch well enough to bring them around. Couch got the win with four scoreless innings in relief of Aly Brickel.
Gibson had three hits for the Maple Leafs while Pawelski and Koteles each doubled and tripled. Pawelski drove in three runs. Myars drove in three runs and three other Titans knocked in two each.
Up Next: Goshen is scheduled to host Taylor University at 1 p.m. Saturday in a Crossroads League doubleheader at the John Ingold Athletic Complex. However, with a weather system forecast to bring more than an inch of rain to the area Thursday night, stay tuned to GoLeafs.net for updates.
