APR. 4 — Leafs Stumble In Non-Conference Affairs To PNC
After sweep of Huntington on Saturday, Goshen suffers out-of-league letdown

Michigan City, IN — Fresh off an impressive sweep of Mid-Central Conference foe Huntington University on Saturday, the Goshen College baseball team could not keep the momentum alive in 1-10 and 3-5 defeats at Purdue University North Central Tuesday afternoon.

In the midst of an eight-game road swing, Goshen (9-23, 4-8) found the offense difficult to come by in the losses to the Panthers, generating just 10 hits on the afternoon en route to a pair of disappointing losses.

“Even though these are not conference games, we still want to compete and play as well as possible,” said Josh Keister, Goshen head coach. “Today we did not do either.”

An early 1-0 lead following the Leafs’ initial at-bat in Game One was short-lived, as PNC put together the tying run in the bottom of the first inning followed by a three-run second and two-run third.

Following its scored run in the first inning, Goshen was able to only produce three hits for the remainder of the contest, giving freshman Ian Swartz (0-1) little help on the mound.

Junior Nate Colclasure drove in the Leafs’ only run of the day’s first game, belting a double that drove in sophomore Nate Montiel, who reached base by virtue of a walk. Only junior Brian Shelton, freshman Kyle Shaffer and freshman Brad Elam registered one hit apiece for the remainder of the team’s battery, all charting singles.

Keister’s squad picked up the offensive intensity in the day’s second game, but the host Panthers simply had more in the tank. Following another impressive opening run through the order for Goshen — the Leafs scored two runs in the top of the first inning — Purdue North Central responded again, knocking in a run in the second inning before landing three in the fourth.

A late Leaf rally was cut short in the sixth inning, ending on a groundout after plating one run. In all, Goshen tallied six hits in the latter contest, five of which were singles.

Freshman Aaron Keister (3-3) suffered the pitching loss, going the distance while striking out three and walking just one. Shelton led the way at the plate, going 1-3 while driving in a run. Freshman Kyle Koch finished 1-3 with a double, while sophomore Mike Staehle was 2-3 with a pair of RBI. Montiel scored a run while going 1-3 from the plate, with senior Ben Taylor and freshman Ian Swartz crossing the plate as well.

“We’ve been on the road now for almost two weeks, and it will be good to get back to our place,” Keister said. “We will keep working in all facets as the meat of our conference schedule gets underway.”

Goshen will remain out of league action in its next contest, as Siena Heights University will visit the Goshen College Baseball Complex Thursday afternoon. A single, nine-inning contest is slated to begin at 3:30 p.m.