Goshen, IN — When facing the Bethel College Pilots baseball program, Goshen head coach Jayson Best knows that in order to win, a team has to play at a high level in all facets of the game.

After nine errors Thursday at the Goshen College Baseball Complex, it was safe to say that the Leafs could have given themselves a better shot at the MCC defending champions.

Bethel more than took advantage of Goshen’s difficulties on the afternoon, claiming Game One by a 5-2 score and then cruising to a 17-8 win in Game Two. While the Pilots’ bats began to roll in the second game, just one Bethel run was earned in the first contest, causing the Leafs to miss out on a golden chance to knock off the Pilots on their own turf.

“We battled well against a very tough pitcher in Game One,” Best said. “Bottom line, if we field the ball we have a chance to win.”

Sophomore Dann Hunt (0-2) went the distance on the mound in the first affair, allowing eight hits and striking out four. And while Hunt did give up all five Bethel runs, only one was earned, as four Goshen errors deeply hurt the team’s chances. Goshen was able to make a run at the plate in the final two innings — senior Brad Miller finished 1-4 with a run scored and sophomore Brian Shelton 1-3 with a double and a run scored — but a costly first and fifth inning to the Pilots (Bethel scored a pair in each) was too much to overcome.

“When you allow one earned run and score two yourselves, you like your chances,” Best said. “We just made too many mistakes in the field.”

Bethel did not need the aide of Goshen errors in the second game, as back-to-back four-run innings to open the contest quickly put an 8-1 deficit in front of the Leafs. Shelton (0-1) was saddled with the loss on the mound, although only throwing one inning of work before shoulder pain sidelined the right-hander. Junior Greg Koop was inserted in his place, going 3 2/3 innings before being removed in favor of senior Danny Samaritoni.

Despite giving up a record number of runs on the season, the Leafs were quite potent at the plate themselves. Miller again was outstanding, going 3-4 while scoring twice. Sophomore Nate Colclasure was a perfect 3-3 in the contest, belting a pair of home runs. Junior Ben Taylor also knocked out a solo home run.

“In the second game we came out flat and put ourselves in a hole that we couldn’t recover from,” Best said. “Once you get down like that against a team like Bethel, coming back is very, very difficult.”

Goshen will get another opportunity at the Pilots in just two days, as the team will travel to Mishawaka on Monday. The first pitch of Game One is slated for 1 p.m.