OWENSBORO, Ky. – The Goshen baseball team wrapped up their time in Kentucky with two losses to Spring Arbor on Monday. The Cougars won game one 9-2 and took the second game 3-0.
A five-run fifth inning gave Spring Arbor some insurance runs that brought a three-run game to an eight-run game. Goshen's offense came in the fourth and sixth innings. With the bases loaded in the fourth,
Joseph Cerda hit into a fielder's choice that scored
Trent Sillett. The sixth inning run came off the bat of
Peyton Smith in the form of a solo home run to left field. The Maple Leafs mustered just three hits compared to ten for the Cougars.
Landon Raczkowski led Spring Arbor's offense. The Spring Arbor native had a 3-3 performance at the plate with a home run, two runs scored, and four RBIs. Jon Williams got the start for SAU and struck out seven in the three innings he pitched. The Spring Arbor pitchers combined to strike out 13 Goshen batters.
Kyle Staelgraeve had the loss, allowing four earned runs in two innings, striking out three.
Besides Smith's homer, the other GC hits came from a Matt Baker single in the fourth and a double by
Char Reeves in the seventh.
With five home runs this year, Goshen has already surpassed their season total from 2021.
Goshen improved on the mound in game two, but Spring Arbor did as well. The Cougars pitchers combined to throw a one-hitter in the seven-inning game. Hunter Nielsen started by allowing no hits and striking out six in the first three innings. The hit was allowed by Cade Kontny to
Nate Lange in the bottom of the fourth. Kontny still got through three innings but without striking out any batters. Brant Mullins closed out the one-hitter and picked up the save by working through the seventh inning.
For Goshen,
Dalton Soergel gave up one earned run in four innings, striking out two and giving up five hits.
Benjamin Witterstaetter threw three innings in relief and gave up no runs and just one hit.
Goshen drops to 3-7 this season, and Spring Arbor improves to 3-2. The Cougars had a 4-3 victory at #21 Reinhardt in Georgia on February 19.
Crossroads League play begins for the Maple Leafs on Friday, March 4. Goshen will play at Grace, with the first game of the series starting at 1:00 pm. Today's games against Spring Arbor in Owensboro were not conference games, and Goshen will still face the Cougars four times to conclude the regular season on April 29 and 30.
