GOSHEN, Ind. - Baseball split their first of two games in a four-game set with Huntington on Thursday afternoon. The Foresters won 19-9 in game one, but the Leafs were led by dominant pitching and a major home run from Chase Smith to get a 3-2 game two win.

Game One
Huntington scored twice in the second inning and then put up a pair of six-run innings in the third and fourth. With the visitors now up 14-0, Goshen didn't back away. Chase Smith scored an unearned run on an error in the fourth and then the Leafs rattled in eight runs on five hits in the fifth inning. Fernando Marte Santana had a two-RBI single, Joshua Rubio had an RBI single, Nick Padron walked in a run, Chris Godden hit a bases-clearing three-RBI double and Axell Espino Montero came up next and scored Godden with an RBI double.

The score was still 14-9 after six innings when the Foresters scored five more in the seventh. With a ten-run lead after seven, Huntington won by run rule.

Brandon Wright Barron pitched the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings for Goshen. In that span he threw five strikeouts and allowed no walks, one earned run and four hits. At the plate, Goshen had two hits each from Chris Godden, Axell Espino Montero and Fernando Marte Santana. Goshen's four doubles was a season-high. Trent Sillett and Joshua Rubio both walked twice. Rubio had walked eight times in the previous six games.

Game Two
With one out in the first inning, Axell Espino Montero singled through the right side and Trent Sillett reached on a fielder's choice. Montero advanced to second after a muffed throw by the second baseman. Then, Chase Smith came up to the plate and crushed a homer to right field, putting Goshen up 3-0. It was his fourth home run of the season, and all four have come in the last seven games. In his 61 games before that he had totaled three home runs.

Eric Pettipiece had control on the mound. While he allowed six walks, he went six innings and allowed no earned runs on three hits. He threw five strikeouts and totaled 109 pitches.  It was his second straight start of at least six innings.

After six innings, Goshen's lead was still at 3-0. Giacomo Padilla came on the mound for the save opportunity in the seventh. Two runs would score with two outs, but Padilla got out of the inning with the tying run at third, earning the save in the process.

Smith finished 2-3 at the plate with three RBIs and a run. In addition to the homer he also had a stolen base. Goshen had been on a four-game losing streak against the Foresters. The last time they had held them to two or fewer runs was also a 3-2 win at Sarge Yoder Field back in 2019.

Goshen hosts Huntington on Friday for Senior Day with game one starting at 1:00 pm. The Senior Day recognition will take place between the games.