RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The Maple Leafs softball team had an emphatic win in game two against the La Sierra Golden Eagles after losing game one. Goshen lost 12-4 in five innings in the first part of the doubleheader but came back to win in part two, 10-1 in five innings.
 
Game one was close for the first few innings. Goshen got on the board early when Ri Koteles hit a single that scored Kaylee Kates in the first. Then, Alisyn Catenacci reached on a fielder's choice and picked up an RBI when Edith Vega scored. The Golden Eagles cut Goshen's 2-0 lead in half in the bottom of the inning and then made it up entirely in the second.
 
Mia Pawelski hit a groundout that scored Caleigh Resler in the third. Koteles had another RBI single in the fourth, scoring Ellie Van Heerde this time. But La Sierra broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth with seven runs. Five runs came from singles hit by Brianna Mills, Jillian Hernandez, Destiny Harris, and Dannikah Star.
 
The Golden Eagles kept applying the pressure in the fifth and scored three more runs before the game was run-ruled. Camile Nolte picked up the win for the home team, allowing two earned runs and four hits in three innings pitched. Mia Pawelski took the loss, allowing eight earned in 3.2 innings. She had five strikeouts and allowed six hits.
 
Koteles finished 2-3 with two RBIs. Catenacci had a double and an RBI as well.
 
Game two would fare much better for the Maple Leafs. Freshman Amanda Hartman allowed just one earned run and three hits in five innings on the mound, striking out four.
 
Goshen started the offense in the second with a Van Heerde single that scored Shea VanScoter. In the third, Koteles had her second homer of this early season, scoring Vega also and giving the Leafs a 3-0 lead. And while La Sierra had a fourth-inning offensive explosion in game one, Goshen would be playing the part in the fourth-inning for game two.
 
Resler scored on a wild pitch with the bases loaded, and Van Heerde scored off Vega's single. Kaylee Kates scored next from an RBI groundout by Alyssa McDonald. Vega scored on an error by the pitcher, and Jessica Bachtell scored on an error by the catcher. When the inning was all said and done, the score was 8-0.
 
La Sierra picked up one run in the bottom half to keep it going, but Koteles brought in two runs with a single to left-center in the fifth. The Golden Eagles had nothing else to offer, and the Leafs won 10-1. This was the first loss at home for the Golden Eagles this season.

"It was good to see the team come together after a tough loss in the first game, reset, and play the second game with a lot of heart and pride," said head coach Juliaclare Plezbert. "They have been consistently putting themselves in good situations and I am excited to see what this team is going to accomplish."
 
Hartman earned the win and is 1-1 this season. Van Heerde had a perfect 3-3 game at the plate, scoring two runs and adding an RBI. Koteles completed game two going 2-4 with four RBIs and scoring a run. Vega was 2-3 with two runs, an RBI, a walk, and two stolen bases. Kates scored two runs and had a single.
 
Today was the first time in program history that Goshen had been run-ruled in game one of a doubleheader and turned around and run-ruled the same opponent in game two on the same day. The last time that had even been done in consecutive games for the Leafs was in 2013.
 
Goshen moves to 1-3, and La Sierra is 4-6. The Leafs take on the University of Saint Katherine on Monday, February 28, starting at 5:00 pm EST. The doubleheader will take place in Encinitas, California.