INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The Goshen softball win streak ended at seven games on Tuesday in Indianapolis, as the #23 Marian Knights extended their win streak to 15 games. Marian won game one 7-2, and followed it with an 8-6 score in the second game.
After losing the first game of the season to Indiana Tech, the Knights are now 15-1 overall and have outscored their opponents 108-32 this season.
Game one was full of home runs, with three from the home team and one from Goshen. Grace Meyer had a three-run home run in the third, Savannah Harweger had a two-run shot in the fourth, and Savannah Baker added a solo homer in the sixth. The Maple Leafs got on the board in the seventh inning when
Alyssa McDonald hit a two-run home run that scored
Mckenzie Richardson, but the scoring ended there as Marian won 7-2.
Alisyn Catenacci had four strikeouts and no walks in six innings pitched, but allowed seven earned runs on ten hits. McDonald's home run was the first hit of the game for Goshen, as Olivia Stunkel threw a no-hitter through 6.1 innings. Stunkel leads the league in ERA (0.74), is tied for the lead in wins (seven), and is tied for second in strikeouts (53).
Kamille Badibanga had Goshen's second and final hit of the game right after McDonald's at-bat when she singled through the left side.
Mckenzie Richardson scored a run and had two walks.
GC was down 7-1 at one point in the second game, but a five-run sixth inning changed the momentum.
Grace Schmitt started the inning by reaching base on a walk, and then Ella McLeod homered to make it a 7-3 game.
Mckenzie Richardson singled to left center in the next at-bat, and then
Alisyn Catenacci hit her team-leading third home run of the season to cut the deficit to two.
Alyssa McDonald doubled next, and Goshen had four straight hits in four at-bats.
Ellie Van Heerde singled later in the inning, and
Bianca Diamond hit an RBI single to score McDonald and make it 7-6. McDonald, Van Heerde, and Diamond all had stolen bases in the inning. Two flyouts ended the top of the sixth, and Marian was still in the lead.
The Knights scored once in the bottom of the sixth and Goshen got a runner to third in the following inning, but Marian escaped and kept their win streak intact. Sierra Norman had two home runs in the game for Marian.
Shea VanScoter had her first loss on the mound this season and now has a 5-1 record. In 2.2 innings, she allowed three earned runs on four hits. The Leafs matched the Knights with ten hits on offense. McDonald went 3-4 with a double and a run scored.
Alisyn Catenacci and
Ella Mcleod had two RBIs each.
Kamille Badibanga had two walks and two stolen bases.
Goshen (12-7, 4-2 CL) is at home on Friday, March 24, at 3:00 pm against Grace for a doubleheader. Stay tuned for potential adjustments due to weather.
