GOSHEN, Ind. - Goshen swept a doubleheader with Bethel with an 11-4 win in game one and a 7-6 nail-biter in game two. The Maple Leafs used a five-run fifth inning to take control of the opener and then held off a late Bethel rally to finish the sweep.

Game One
Goshen used a five-run fifth inning and a strong relief outing from Shay Pipher to take control. The decisive swing came from Bianca Diamond, whose three-run homer down the left-field line capped the surge that put the Maple Leafs ahead for good.

Goshen finished with 11 runs on 12 hits and did not commit an error in the game. Bethel took a 4-2 lead after scoring three times in the third on Harmony Looney's home run and adding another run in the fourth, but the Maple Leafs answered in the bottom half to tie it before breaking the game open in the fifth. Goshen added two more runs in the sixth for insurance and improved the day with a complete team response after falling behind.

The Maple Leafs struck first in the opening inning. Tatem Adams doubled to center, and Audrey White and Diamond scored on the play as a throwing error helped Goshen grab a 2-0 lead. Bethel swung momentum in the third for a 3-2 advantage, then pushed the margin to 4-2 in the fourth when a hit-by-pitch brought home Paxton Baker.

Goshen's answer started immediately in the bottom of the fourth with two runs to even the score at 4-4. An inning later, the Maple Leafs delivered the game's defining stretch. Goshen scored five runs in the fifth, with Diamond providing the biggest blow on her three-run homer off Alysa Fritz. Diamond finished 3-3 with two runs scored, four RBIs, a home run and a stolen base, powering the middle of the lineup as Goshen pulled away.

In the circle, Adams started and worked 3.1 innings, allowing four runs on four hits while striking out four. Pipher settled the game from there, covering the final 3.2 innings and earning the win after allowing just two hits and striking out three.

Goshen closed out the scoring in the sixth. Celeste Gutierrez doubled in a run, and Hayden McGuire followed with a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 11-4, the final score.

Game Two
Goshen built a five-run cushion by the fifth inning, then survived a late push from Bethel to secure a 7-6 victory in the second game of the doubleheader. The Maple Leafs led 7-2 entering the seventh and got the final out after Bethel brought the tying run within 60 feet.

The decisive stretch came in the middle innings, when Goshen answered an early deficit and steadily added on. Bethel took a 1-0 lead in the first, but the Maple Leafs matched it in the bottom half when Tatem Adams singled to right to bring home Camryn Barrows. Goshen moved in front for good in the second. Esme Pico scored on Hayden McGuire's triple down the right-field line, and the Maple Leafs turned that surge into a 3-1 lead.

Goshen added another run in the fourth when Rachel Kates reached on a fielder's choice to shortstop and a run scored, making it 4-1. The Maple Leafs then created the separation they would need in the fifth. Pico delivered an RBI single, McGuire added another run-scoring hit, and a throwing error helped bring home a third run in the inning as Goshen stretched the advantage to 7-2.

McGuire was one of Goshen's top offensive contributors, finishing 2-2 with a triple, two RBIs, one run scored and one hit by pitch. Kates drove in two runs, while Pico helped her own cause in the circle by going 1-2 with an RBI and a walk. Goshen finished with nine hits, one double, one triple and four stolen bases while putting pressure on Bethel throughout the game.

Pico earned the win after working 6.2 innings. The Goshen starter allowed 11 hits and six runs, walked one and struck out three over 103 pitches. Goshen also backed Pico with clean defense, finishing without an error while Bethel committed one.

Bethel made the final inning tense. Karleigh Friedrich doubled during the rally, Shaw added an RBI single, Natalie Wilton lifted a sacrifice fly, and Madelynn Queen followed with an RBI single. A wild pitch brought home another run and cut the lead to 7-6, but Goshen closed out the final batter to end the comeback bid.

Goshen (11-15, 5-9 CL) is at Spring Arbor on Saturday, March 28, at 1:00 pm.