APR. 9 — Colclasure Grand Slam Takes Out Wildcats
Walk-off dinger gives Leafs win in Game One; IWU gets second by 8-9 score

Goshen, IN — Sophomore Nate Colclasure has made hitting baseballs out of ballparks a fairly common occurrence. After all, it was Colclasure who shattered the Goshen College baseball program’s single-season home run record with 19 dingers last season.

Perhaps no Colcasure homer was as impressive as the one he hit on Saturday, however.

Facing Mid-Central Conference rival Indiana Wesleyan University and trailing by a 2-1 count in the bottom of the seventh inning with the bases loaded and two outs, Colclasure delivered a made-for-Hollywood blast that ended Game One with the visiting Wildcats in dramatic fashion.

“Nate has done it since he’s first put on a Goshen College uniform, and he came up really, really big for us this afternoon,” said Goshen head coach Jayson Best. “Not only is he a power hitter, but he comes up with hits at opportune times. That’s what makes him such a good player at the plate.”

Colclasure’s grand slam was his seventh home run of the season and gave the Leafs an ever-close win over Wesleyan, who hung around just long enough to take the second game of the double header by a 9-8 score. Still, at the end of the afternoon it was Colclasure’s walk-off dinger that people were talking about, and for good reason.

Through six full innings of play in the day’s first contest, Goshen’s lone run was off another homer — coming from the bat of sophomore Casey Cavell in the third inning. Things looked to be in the Leafs’ control, until Indiana Wesleyan generated a pair of runs in the top of the fifth to take the 2-1 lead. Neither team could add runs to the board until Goshen loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh inning, providing the backdrop for Colclasure’s heroics.

Junior Ben Taylor (4-1) captured the win on the mound, and was impressive throughout the afternoon. Taylor struck out 10 Wildcat batters and did not offer a single walk on the day, with his only blemish coming in the fifth inning. Fortunately, timely hitting by Goshen (12-8, 9-5) in the final inning helped to keep Taylor out of the loser’s bracket, a fitting end following a great day on the mound.

“Ben really was throwing well, and it would have been a shame not to have won this game with that pitching performance,” Best said. “Again, you’ve got to take advantage of opportunities at the plate, and we were able to do that in the seventh inning.”

It was Wesleyan that stole the Leafs thunder at the outset of the second contest, however, scoring five runs in the first two innings. Goshen responded with six runs in the second and third stanzas, and another nip and tuck affair was in the making. In the end, it was the Wildcats that came up with the big hits late, generating the tying run in the eighth inning while putting up three insurance runs in the ninth. The Leafs’ second attempt at a cardiac comeback fell just short, however, as Goshen was thwarted after scoring two more runs in the bottom of the seventh.

Sophomore Brian Shelton (1-2) was saddled with the loss on the mound, relieving senior starter Josh Snyder in the sixth inning. Taylor came in for clean up duty in the seventh inning, but the damage had been done.

Cavell again was an offense force for the Leafs, going 2-5 in the second game. Senior Brad Miller complemented his 2-3 performance in Game One with a 1-3 effort that included a double in the second outing. Shelton did everything he could to help his pitching cause at the plate, going 3-4.

Goshen will not have much time to recuperate from a pair of nail-biting games with the Wildcats, as the Leafs will travel to Manchester College for an out-of-conference, nine-inning match up on Sunday. Game time is set for 3 p.m.