APR. 13 — Goshen Grabs Hotly Contested Split With SAU
Pair of contests go extra innings as Goshen fights for MCC playoff positioning

Goshen, IN — With each and every Mid-Central Conference contest becoming more crucial as the fight for post-season leverage increases, Goshen and Spring Arbor University put on a doozy of a showing Thursday afternoon at the Goshen College Baseball Complex.

Two extra-inning affairs, a walk-off single and a multitude of brilliant plays equated a split between the clubs, with Goshen stealing a 6-5 win in the first game and the Cougars using a late rally to take the second by a 5-1 count. Coupled with other scores from around the conference, Thursday’s result at Goshen placed the Leafs in the driver’s seat for the final playoff spot in the MCC Northern Division.

“These were two incredibly intense, wire-to-wire games today,” said Josh Keister, Goshen head coach. “We were fortunate to get the first one and a couple of inches one way or the other on two line drives that could have gotten us the second.”

An explosive start to the day’s first game set the tone for the remainder of the afternoon at the Leaf’s stadium, as Goshen (12-27, 6-10) scored four of its six runs in the first three innings. Senior Ben Taylor got the starting nod on the mound for Keister’s squad, and despite striking out six allowed four runs through four innings of work. Goshen’s offense during that stretch was powered by a pair of home runs: The first coming from sophomore Mike Staehle in the third inning and a solo shot off the bat of junior Brian Shelton in the third.

A pair of Spring Arbor errors in the bottom of the fourth inning helped Goshen push the go-ahead run across the plate, taking a 5-4 lead with Taylor gaining momentum on the mound. That surge was halted in the seventh inning, however, as a Spring Arbor single followed by a Leaf error eventually scored the game-tying run in unearned fashion. Taylor was able to get out of the half inning by striking out the last two batters, but was pulled in favor of Shelton after Goshen failed to score in the bottom of the seventh.

Though not on the mound, Taylor would make his presence felt.

As Shelton pitched his way out of a one-hit, one-on top of the eighth, it was the Leafs that made the most of an opportunity in the bottom of the inning. After a lead-off single by sophomore Alex Childers, Spring Arbor elected to intentionally walk both Shelton and junior Nate Colclasure, bringing Taylor to the plate with the bases loaded and one out retired.

He turned and belted a deep fly ball that hit the bottom of the wall in left-center, bringing in Childers and ending the game in dramatic fashion.

The blast was Taylor’s only hit of the contest, going 1-4 with the all-important RBI. Childers finished 2-4 with a run scored, while Staehle was 1-3 with two RBI on his homer. Shelton was 2-3 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Colclasure finished 2-3 with a run scored and a double.

Shelton (2-3) picked up the win on the mound in relief effort, tossing just one full inning while allowing one hit. Two of the three outs retired by Shelton were in the form of fly outs.

While not as combustible from the beginning, Thursday’s Game Two provided equal excitement, as the teams stayed deadlocked at 1-1 through eight full innings of play. Goshen scored first in the third inning, where another key single from Childers scored freshman Ian Swartz. Spring Arbor was able to tie the game in the sixth, however, knocking out a bases-empty homer to silence the Leafs’ faithful.

With a defensive game transpiring over the next two and a half innings of play — the teams combined for just five hits during that time — it was the Cougars that broke out of the slump in the ninth, scoring four runs on five hits to put the game out of reach. Goshen finished three up, three down in the bottom of the inning.

Childers again was the offensive bright spot for Goshen, driving in the team’s only run in the third inning on a single. Staehle finished 2-4 with a double, while Swartz was 1-2 with a double and a run scored.

Junior Dann Hunt started on the mound for Goshen, taking a no-decision while pitching six and two thirds innings while striking out six and allowing just four hits. Ironically, it was again Shelton (2-4) that picked up the pitching decision, taking the loss in just one and one thirds innings pitched. Shelton gave up four runs off of four hits during that time.

“While we would have liked to have two today, we still are in a position to do some good things down the home stretch,” Keister said. “With Grace College getting swept (at Bethel College), we now have a one game lead for the last playoff spot. We have a lot to play for the last two weeks of the season.”

Goshen will get another shot at Spring Arbor on Saturday, when the team will travel to the Cougars’ ballpark for another double-header. Game time for the first contest is set for 1 p.m.