BARBOURVILLE, Ky. - The Maple Leafs baseball team now holds a 2-2 record after splitting two games with Union on Sunday to wrap up their four game series. In two lopsided contests, the Bulldogs won the first game 17-6 and the Leafs took game two 11-1.
Brad Stoltzfus becomes the first Goshen baseball coach since Todd Bacon in 1998 to start 2-2 or better in his first four games at the helm. Another notable note is that the 13 walks that Goshen had in their game two win is the most since at least the 2009 season, since computerized game-by-game files have been kept. The previous high was 11 - against Northwood (now Keiser) on 2/24/13, Marian on 3/24/17, Rochester on 5/1/18, Taylor on 4/2/19, Marian on 3/13/21 and Saint Francis on 3/10/22.
Game One
Goshen was on the board early when
Peyton Smith hit a two-RBI single in the first to score
Trent Sillett and
Jenner Rodammer. But Union responded with three runs in the bottom half, with the third coming when Logan Romasanta stole home. They tacked on two more in the second to go up 5-2.
The Leafs scored next with a sacrifice fly from
Jenner Rodammer in the fourth, but Union went up 10-3 after more runs in the bottom of the fourth and fifth. The Leafs got an unearned run in the sixth when
Curtis Huffman scored on an error from the second baseman.
Peyton Smith came up big again with an RBI single and
Chase Smith got an RBI when he reached on a fielder's choice.
It was a four run game, but Union put up a seven spot in the sixth to win 17-6 even though they didn't have any home runs.
Peyton Smith finished with three RBIs, going 2-4. Nate Pinedo accounted for three of Goshen's four walks.
Trent Sillett and
Chris Godden also had multiple hits.
Baylor Orcutt had the loss, allowing five earned runs in two innings as the starter.
Game Two
While
Peyton Smith contributed offensively for the Leafs in game one, they relied on his pitching prowess in the second game.
As the starter, Smith allowed just two hits in six innings pitched. He allowed no earned runs, one unearned, and struck out six batters while walking two.
His team gave him plenty of help on the offensive end, but he contributed to his own cause as well. Smith had an RBI single in the first that scored
Justin Dambruck.
Curtis Huffman and
Jenner Rodammer had RBI singles in the fourth to make it 3-0. In the fifth,
Joseph Cerda scored on a passed ball and Huffman walked with the bases loaded to score
Joey Paternostro. The Leafs had a 5-0 lead.
The Bulldogs got their run on a passed ball in the fifth, but Goshen scored six runs in the next half inning.
Joseph Cerda had an RBI double,
Peyton Smith had a two run homer,
Giacomo Padilla scored on an error, and
Justin Dambruck and
Trent Sillett followed that with RBI singles.
Josh Murphy pitched the final inning and didn't allow any hits or runs.
The two hits that the Leafs allowed was the fewest since allowing two on February 18 last year in a 16-0 win at Ecclesia. That game was also seven innings.
Peyton Smith went 3-4 at the plate this game with three RBIs and a walk. Sillett and Cerda had two hits apiece and combined for three walks. The Leafs had 13 players walk in the game compared to two for the Bulldogs.
Goshen is next playing at Brescia University in Owensboro, Kentucky, facing Kentucky Christian and Brescia. The first games will be on Friday, February 9. The Leafs challenge Kentucky Christian at 2:00 pm EST and then go up against Brescia at 5:00 pm EST. Both games are seven innings.
