WINONA LAKE, Ind. – The Leafs baseball team began conference play on Friday afternoon in Winona Lake and picked up a win thanks to a dominant effort by
Jack Bennett on the mound. Goshen lost game one 6-2 but won game two 1-0.
It wasn't until the bottom of the third when either team got on the board in game one. At that point, Grace scored on a sacrifice fly to deep right field to put the first run on the board. The Lancers had another run in the fourth that was scored via a sacrifice fly and tacked on another in the inning off a misplayed grounder by Goshen.
The score stayed at 3-0 for a few innings until the Maple Leafs got on the board in the eighth. With runners at second and third,
Jenner Rodammer hit a sacrifice fly to left that scored
Char Reeves. Later in the inning,
Camm Nickell singled to right-center to bring in
Nate Lange and bring Goshen within a run.
In the bottom half of the inning, Grace quickly responded on a three-run home run by Cal Curiel to left field – the first pitch of his at-bat. The Lancers bumped their lead to 6-2 and would win by that score.
Nickell threw seven innings for Goshen, allowing two earned runs and five hits. He had six strikeouts and two walks.
Lange was 2-4 with a run and a stolen base for Goshen.
Peyton Smith, Nickell,
Morgan Baker, and
Joseph Cerda had hits for the Leafs.
This was the first game Goshen had played against Grace since April 27, 2019.
Game two was a pitcher's duel with a thrilling finish.
Jack Bennett got the nod for Goshen, and he threw a complete seven innings – allowing no earned runs and just four hits. For Grace, Evan Etchison pitched 6.2 innings and gave up four hits, but he also allowed the game-winning run to come around.
Cerda got on base with a walk in the top of the seventh and would later move to second and steal third. Lange came to the plate with two outs and knocked in the game-winning run as Cerda came around. Goshen got just one run, but that was all they needed as Bennett closed it out for good in the bottom of the seventh and earned the win.
"I can't say enough about Jack's outing," said head coach
Alex Childers. "Our defense made some plays behind him, and he did a phenomenal job getting us off the field with two outs. That was a huge outing that the team really needed to right the ship and get us going."
The cold and wind made it a tough day to hit for both teams. Nickell, Reeves, and
Trent Sillett had singles for Goshen, but Lange had the most important one. "Nate has been having great at-bats all year, and it was awesome to see him come through in a big spot," said Childers. Lange is hitting .303 after batting at a .235 clip in 2020 and .245 in 2021.
"I told the guys after the game that I'm a big believer that if you do things the right way and keep competing, the game will reward you," Childers added. "We're excited for another opportunity to compete tomorrow!"
Goshen and Grace face off again at noon on Saturday.
