FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The Maple Leafs baseball team concluded their series at Saint Francis on Monday, after the series started on Thursday. Goshen lost game one 13-7 before dropping game two 4-3. The Leafs took a late lead in the final inning before the Cougars won on a walk-off single in the bottom of the inning.

Goshen led early in game one. Two walks and a single got the bases loaded for the Leafs in the top of the first. Joseph Cerda singled to score the first run, bringing in Jenner Rodammer.

With a 1-0 lead, Goshen added more offensive activity in the third. The Maple Leafs had the bases loaded again when Cerda walked. He had his second RBI, and Rodammer scored a second run. Morgan Baker grounded out to the shortstop, and Trent Sillett lined out to right field, but they each scored another run, and Goshen had a 4-0 advantage.

The Cougars first got on the board in the bottom of the third, putting up two runs to make it 4-2. Goshen's Peyton Smith had an RBI single in the fourth to go up 5-2, but Saint Francis would score eight straight runs. Sam Pesa hit a solo shot in the fourth, followed by four Cougar runs in the fifth and another three in the sixth.

Goshen capitalized on having the bases loaded again in the eighth as Camm Nickell hit an RBI single. Rodammer scored his third run later in the inning, and the score was 10-7. Saint Francis tacked on three more in the eight, winning 13-7.

Casey Henry earned the win for USF, striking out seven and allowing four runs in four innings pitched. Eric Pettipiece threw the most innings for the Leafs. He struck out five over four innings while walking just one, but he allowed eight hits and eight earned runs.

Smith and Nickell each had three hits at the plate for Goshen. Rodammer scored three runs, and Nate Lange scored two. The Maple Leafs had 11 hits, but they were all singles.

Nickell got the start in game two for the Leafs. He allowed a home run in the first but otherwise had a solid first few innings. In the top of the third, Jenner Rodammer stole second base and an error scored Lange from third, tying the game at one. Kaden Sullivan hit an RBI double for Saint Francis in the fourth to go up 2-1.

The teams combined for just one hit offensively in the fifth and sixth innings. Goshen had to score a run in the seventh to tie the game and stay in it. Instead, they scored two and took the lead.

Sillett and Justin Harris hit singles for the Leafs with one out, sending Cory Wolter off the mound for Saint Francis. A wild pitch sent the runners to second and third, and a groundout by Lange scored pinch-runner Char Reeves. Then, Rodammer singled to left to score Harris and give Goshen their first lead of the game.

Now the Cougars had to score a run to stay in it. And like Goshen, they were able to score two.

With runners at second and third, Xavier Nolan singled to right and both runners came across the plate before the cutoff throw got to home. Saint Francis won in walk-off fashion, 4-3.

Nickell struck out six in 6.1 innings for Goshen. He allowed four earned runs and six hits. Rodammer had three hits, an RBI, and a stolen base. Saint Francis (16-6, 6-2 CL) had six hits and an error, while Goshen (4-14, 1-7 CL) put up seven hits and no errors.

The home opener for Goshen is up next. On Friday, March 18, the Leafs take on Marian in a doubleheader starting at 1:00 pm at Yoder Field. Stay tuned for schedule updates.