APR. 29 — Goshen Knocks Out USF; MCC Tourney Set
Leafs take Cougars out of post-season with split; Taylor first up in MCCs

Goshen, IN — With nothing on the line for Goshen and everything at stake for the University of St. Francis Saturday at the Goshen College Baseball Complex, it was the Leafs that showed no hospitality, splitting with the visiting Cougars in a 1-9 loss and 8-6 win.

St. Francis needed a sweep of Goshen (16-34, 8-14) to qualify for next week’s Mid-Central Conference Tournament, while the Leafs’ position was firmly set. Despite the contrasting magnitude of Saturday’s contests for the squads, St. Francis could not complete the needed sweep behind a powerful Game Two effort from the hosts.

“St. Francis really played with a lot of intensity today,” said Josh Keister, Goshen head coach. “They needed to win twice to get into the MCC tourney while we were already in. They just outplayed us in the first game but we came back and got some runs in the second.”

The meaningless nature — from Goshen’s perspective — of the day’s double-header was apparent at the afternoon’s outset, as the Leafs generated just three hits while giving up 13 in the opening 1-9 loss. Junior Dann Hunt (2-6) was saddled with the loss on the pitching mound, though just three of his five runs given up were earned in five and one-third innings pitched. Keister then went to freshman Kyle Koch as a pitcher for just the fourth time this season, and Koch was hit hard: In just two thirds of an inning, Koch gave up four runs off of five hits. He struck out two Cougar batters.

While St. Francis continued to stockpile runs, the offense for the Leafs was hard to come by. Goshen collected two of its total three hits in the second inning, as senior Ben Taylor opened the bottom half with a single and a steal of second base. A follow-up double from freshman Kyle Shaffer drove Taylor across the plate, scoring the lone run of the contest for Keister’s squad. Sophomore Mike Staehle accounted for the Leafs’ only other hit of the game, singling in the first inning.

A hitless final five innings of Game One was not an accurate indicator of things to come in the day’s second contest, however, as Goshen used an eruption in the sixth inning to end any chance of St. Francis advancing to the post-season. After scoring a single run in the second inning to take a 1-0 lead, Keister’s team recorded seven scores in the fourth, led by a three-run homer from Koch.

The Leafs’ 8-0 lead was tested late thanks to a big sixth inning from a desperate St. Francis unit, as the Cougars put together six runs off of five hits to pull within two. Starting pitcher Aaron Keister (6-6) picked up the win on the mound, but had to be relieved by Taylor after a troublesome sixth inning. Keister allowed just one hit in the first five innings of work, but a five-hit, six-run sixth inning ended his day on a sour note. Taylor (3) managed to get out of the stanza with two Cougar runners left on base, picking up his third save of the season in one and a third innings worked.

“We had to hold them off in the last two innings,” Keister said. “They were very determined, but we made the necessary plays to get out of a tough situation.”

Koch’s dinger (his second of the year) led a 1-2 effort from the plate with three RBI. Shaffer again was big on offense, going 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored, joining freshman Landon Rorher who produced the same results. Senior Greg Koop went 1-3 from the plate with an RBI and a run scored, while freshman Brad Elam finished 1-2 with an RBI. Sophomore Alex Childers posted a 1-3 line with a run scored and an RBI. Junior Brian Shelton finished with a single, going 1-2.

UPDATE: Following a pair of weather-related cancellations, Goshen now prepares for the MCC Tournament which begins Thursday at both Huntington University and Indiana Wesleyan University. The four-team, double-elimination event will advance the top two teams to NAIA Region VIII competition. Goshen, by virtue of seeding, will first play Taylor University at 12 p.m. Thursday at Huntington University. The Leafs’ ensuing games are dependent on the outcome of that contest — and others — while updates will be made to Goshen’s schedule web site (click here to view) as final results occur.

Mid-Central Conference North Division Champ Bethel College will face off in a three-game series with South Division Champ Marian College for the MCC Championship. Both of those teams receive automatic bids to NAIA regional competition as a result of their divisional championships. Goshen will have to win at least two games in the four-team MCC Tournament to advance to regional competition. The Leafs last reached the regional level of post-season play in 1994.