MAR. 17 — Cold Bats Hinder Goshen In Losses To Lancers
Squad gives two games back to conference rival Grace after sweep on road

Goshen, IN — Relatively speaking, Friday’s sunshine and temperatures in the upper 40’s were a welcome warm-up from the Goshen College baseball team’s past game conditions.

Unfortunately, it did nothing for the Leafs’ bats.

After sweeping Mid-Central Conference Northern Division rival Grace College just two days earlier — and in much worse playing conditions — Goshen could not duplicate the feat Friday afternoon at the Goshen College Baseball Complex, dropping 3-4 and 1-3 decisions to the Lancers in evening out its MCC record at 2-2. The Leafs (6-12, 2-2) managed just eight total hits on the day, giving its pitching and defense only the slightest margin for error.

“Grace outplayed us today in every aspect of the game,” said Josh Keister, Goshen head coach. “We pitched fairly well and our defense was pretty good, but we could not come up with the big hit. We have struggled offensively all season but I’m confident that we will turn it around.”

After falling behind by a 3-0 score in the day’s first contest, Goshen used a consistent effort at the plate to get back in the mix. Solid base running and smart execution at the plate pushed a run across in the bottom of the third and fourth innings, while junior Nate Colclasure belted his third home run of the year in the fifth for Goshen’s third score. The Lancers had added another run in the top of the fourth, however, claiming a 4-3 lead with two innings remaining.

As junior Brian Shelton (1-2) began to click on the mound late — Grace got just three runners on base in the final two innings of play — Goshen mounted its final-inning rally attempt. A single by sophomore Mike Staehle started things off, while a deep blast from Colclasure pushed Staehle to second and a sacrifice ground ball from senior Ben Taylor moved him to third. With two gone and Staehle 90 feet from tying the game, senior Greg Koop sent a rocket to center field. Grace’s Geoff Walmer was there to make the running grab, however, ending the game in dramatic fashion.

Colclasure led the way at the plate in the loss, going 2-3 with an RBI off his solo shot in the fifth. Staehle, Koop and freshman Kyle Koch all singled in the loss. Shelton went the distance on the mound, striking out eight Lancer batters while walking just one.

With the taste of a tough loss lingering at the start of Game Two, Goshen could not mount much of an offensive attack in the 1-3 defeat. Grace scored its three tallies in the first three innings of work, putting Keister’s team in a hole that it could not escape.

Senior Dan Fensler (0-4) was saddled with the pitching loss, going 6 and 1/3 innings while just two of the Lancers’ three runs were earned. He struck out five and walked three.

Goshen pushed its lone run across in the bottom of the sixth inning, when a lead-off single from Colclasure eventually was scored on a sacrifice fly from sophomore Mark Springer. With two outs retired and two runners on, freshman Landon Rohrer could not come up with a big knock, grounding out to end the Leafs’ best chance at coming back.

Colclasure again was Goshen’s best performer offensively, going 1-3 and scoring the team’s only run. Staehle finished 1-4, while sophomore Chris Hostetler provided the Leafs’ only other hit of the contest, going 1-3 as well.

“These are frustrating losses for us, especially against a divisional opponent that we had previously swept,” Keister said. “We don’t have much time to dwell on it as we have another big conference game Saturday against a strong Taylor team.”

Goshen will travel to Upland to face Taylor University Saturday in double-header action. The first of two games against the MCC South Division opponent is slated to begin at 1 p.m.