APR. 22 — Shelton HR Barrage Helps Leafs Claim Berth
Junior knocks out three; squad splits with Marian to clinch MCC Playoff spot

Goshen, IN — With the Mid-Central Conference Playoff race coming down to virtually the final regular-season contest, it would be reasonable to expect Goshen head coach Josh Keister to have some uneasiness during games.

Saturday against MCC foe Marian College, Keister could have used a massage, some antacids and a punching bag.

After suffering a narrow 7-4 defeat in Game One to the Knights, Goshen claimed a commanding 7-0 lead in the second game, only to lose that lead, gain it back and then win 10-9 to secure a berth in the 2006 MCC Playoffs. Coupled with a pair of Grace College losses on Saturday and conference tie-breaking procedures, Goshen is mathematically assured a post-season berth, something that would not have occurred had the Leafs dropped a pair to Marian.

After witnessing a total 45 hits, 30 runs and five homers on Saturday between Goshen and Marian, Keister deserved a nap.

Just a typical day in the MCC baseball race.

“What a day,” Keister said following the festivities. “I’ve always thought we could be a dangerous team in the post-season, but getting there turned out to be tougher than I would have liked. It was not easy today, but we stayed with it. Sometimes that’s just what it takes.”

Goshen (13-32, 7-13) stayed with it in large part to junior Brian Shelton, who finished the day with three home runs, six RBI, a double and a batting average of .571. Those efforts started early in the afternoon’s activities, as Shelton hammered a three-run shot in the first inning of the first game to give Goshen a 3-0 lead after one full inning of play. Marian added a run in the top of the second inning, but the Leafs responded with another score in its half of the inning — a lead-off triple from sophomore Alex Childers eventually crossed the plate — giving Keister’s team a 4-1 advantage.

Unfortunately for Goshen fans, the team’s offense came to a shuddering halt. The Leafs produced just three hits for the remainder of the contest, while Marian heated up to generate 11 hits in the same span, scoring two runs in the third, three in the fifth and another in the seventh.

Senior Ben Taylor (4-5) suffered the loss on the mound for Goshen, going five full innings while striking out five. Taylor allowed eight of the Knights’ total hits for the game, giving up six runs overall while five were earned.

Shelton’s home run scored three of Goshen’s four runs, his only hit in the day’s first contest. Junior Nate Colclasure finished 2-3 with a run scored, charting a double. Childers’ triple was his lone hit of the contest, while senior Greg Koop and freshmen Kyle Koch and Kyle Shaffer each singled.

Saturday’s first game was merely an opening act for what would be the headliner, as Goshen’s seven-run, initial three innings in Game Two put Marian on its heels. Another first at-bat homer for Shelton — this one a two-run dinger — began the onslaught, as sophomore Mike Staehle pushed two across with a second-inning double followed by yet another home run from Shelton in the third. After a triple from Koop and a sacrifice fly from freshman Ian Swartz pushed two more runs across the plate, Keister was staring at a 7-0 lead and a boost for his team’s post-season chances.

Again, however, things went stale at the plate for Goshen while Marian heated up.

A four-run fifth inning for the Knights was followed by a five-run sixth, putting Goshen behind by a 7-9 score heading into the bottom of the sixth inning.

As Keister scrambled to stop the bleeding — senior starting pitcher Dann Hunt was pulled in the fifth for classmate Dan Fensler — his optimism began to fade.

“I was as low as I have been at any point this season after we blew that lead,” Keister said. “It is a credit to our guys that they were able to come back.”

And come back they did.

After a lead-off ground out by Childers, sophomore Chris Hostetler drew a walk. A single from Staehle followed. After a Knights’ pitching change, Colclasure patiently awaited his turn at the plate.

His home run wasn’t even close to the wall.

Colclasure ripped a shot deep to left-center, driving in three runs and re-capturing a 10-9 lead in the process. Keister then called on Taylor to take the mound in the top of the seventh, and the 2005 MCC Player of the Year responded: Taylor forced out the final out after giving up two singles, pushing Goshen into the post-season.

Fensler (2-7) recorded the win on the mound, pitching just one-third inning and giving up one hit. Taylor (1) recorded his first save of the season, while Hunt pitched the majority of the contest, striking out six while giving up nine hits and just four earned runs.

Shelton again was big, going 3-4 from the plate with two homers and three RBI. Colclasure finished the Hollywood script, going 2-4 with three RBI on his sixth-inning dinger. Koop (1-3, one RBI) and Koch (3-4, one run scored) each tripled, while Staehle (2-4, two RBI) and Shelton each recorded a double.

It is still uncertain as to who Goshen will play in the first round of the MCC Tournament or what seed the team will claim — both of those factors will be determined through the final week of regular-season league play. The Leafs will get a brief hiatus from MCC competition next, as the team will travel to Tri-State University on Monday for a single, nine-inning contest. Game time is set for 2 p.m.