MAR. 25 — Leafs Fall On Both Ends Of Spectrum Saturday
Bethel sweeps series with pitching duel then run-fest to extend Goshen's slump

Goshen, IN — For the third and fourth times in the past four contests, the Goshen College baseball team held a lead over the Bethel College Pilots after at least one full inning of play.

For the third and fourth times, the team couldn’t make it last.

Goshen (6-18, 2-8) dropped a pair of games Saturday to the Mid-Central Conference rival Pilots by 1-3 and 7-13 counts, pushing the team’s losing skid to eight straight and surrendering the season series to Bethel in disappointing fashion. After taking control of each contest in the four-game series, it was Goshen that came up just a play short nearly every time. The Leafs have lost their last eight games by an average of just 2.1 runs per game, while seven of the last eight have been decided by 1.6 runs per game. Two of those losses ended with a game-tying run being thrown out at the plate, while another two ended with game-tying runs stranded on third base.

For first-year head coach Josh Keister, it’s now a matter of continuing to plug away.

“It has been tough,” Keister said of the recent slide. “Our guys are probably trying too hard right now. Once we get a win to get this skid stopped I think we will relax a little bit and start playing up to our potential.”

Saturday started off per usual for Keister’s team at the Goshen College Baseball Complex, as the Leafs took a 1-0 lead after two full innings of work against the Pilots. A single by senior and 2005 MCC Player of the Year Ben Taylor drove in classmate Greg Koop in the first inning, and then Taylor took the mound retiring six of Bethel’s first seven batters.

That trend continued until the fourth inning, where a combination of Bethel hitting and Goshen miscues turned the tide. After getting the Pilots’ initial hitter to fly out, Taylor walked the next batter, which was followed by a single. A fielding error allowed the Pilots’ next hitter to reach base, scoring the runner at third to tie the game. A throwing error then caused another Pilot to cross the plate, while a single tacked one more run on before Taylor was able to strike out the side. When it was all over, Bethel had scored three — though only one was earned — on two hits and an error.

And though Taylor (2-4) did his best to be sure no further damage would be done — seven innings pitched, eight strikeouts and four walks — Goshen could not get its offense untracked. The Leafs were able to get just three on base in the final four innings of play, giving Bethel the 3-1 win.

Taylor led the limited charge at the plate, going 2-3 with an RBI. Juior Brian Shelton and sophomores Chris Hostetler and Mike Staehle accounted for Goshen’s other three hits on the game, all singles.

The day’s second game would provide much more offense — 20 runs and 24 hits altogether — and again Goshen was first to strike. After a walk and a double gave Bethel a 1-0 lead following the top half of the first inning, Keister’s team responded with an impressive first inning, capitalized by a double from Shelton that drove in a run. A deep fly ball from Colclasure looked to drive in Shelton for a three- run stanza, but Shelton was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.

Bethel added runs in the second and third innings, but Goshen scored as well, with a sacrifice fly from Staehle scoring Hostetler to tie the game at 3-3 after three.

It was in the fourth inning that Goshen took command of the game, scoring three runs to open a 6-3 lead. A two-RBI single from Koop accounted for two scores, while a wild pitch eventually scored Koop for the third.

With a newfound confidence beaming, Goshen would look to hold on for the final three innings.

Bethel had other ideas.

Three Pilot runs in the fifth and seventh innings to go with four in the sixth stunned the Goshen crowd, as the Pilots erupted for 10 of their 16 total hits in the final three stanzas. Shelton (1-3) was saddled with the pitching loss, though he threw just one and one-third innings, giving up four runs. Senior Dan Fensler started and went four and two-third innings, giving up six runs, five earned. Colclasure came in very late relief, pitching just an inning while giving up three runs on two hits.
Offensively for Goshen, Koop finished 2-3 with a team-best two RBI and a double. Shelton (1-3 from the plate, one RBI) and sophomore Tom McDowell (1-1, one RBI) each doubled, while Staehle pushed the team’s other run across going 1-1. Taylor finished 1-4 from the plate, scoring twice.

“We again had opportunities to win both games but came up short,” Keister said. “It will be nice to take a break from our conference schedule and play some non-conference games so we can work on some things without quite as much pressure.”

Goshen will begin a week-long MCC layoff by visiting Judson College on Tuesday for a double header. Game time for the first of two is set for 4 p.m.