(Game 1 Stats) (Game 2 Stats) Goshen, IN — Even though Goshen head coach Josh Keister’s name is plastered throughout the Goshen College baseball record books, it's safe to say that the Leafs’ second-year skipper would gladly move aside if it meant more wins for his team this season and in the future.
Tuesday afternoon against Purdue University-North Central, Keister got company at the top of one program record, anyway.
Senior Nate Colclasure belted his 13th double of the season in the bottom of the sixth inning in Tuesday’s first contest with the Panthers, driving in three runs to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 lead. Goshen (9-27, 4-10) would go on to add another insurance run in the stanza, completing a dramatic comeback for a last-second, 5-3 win.
With the double, Colclasure joined Keister at the top of the Goshen single-season record for doubles, with at least 12 games remaining to add to his total. Keister recorded 13 two-baggers in both the 2002 and 2003 seasons, while ’06 graduate Mike Staehle equaled the feat last season as well (click here to view complete program records).
Program records didn’t mean much to Keister on Tuesday, however, as Colclasure’s double helped Goshen generate its second win in three contests. The Leafs then fell to Purdue-North Central in Tuesday’s second game by a 2-6 score.
“Nate has had some incredibly clutch hits in his career, and his two-out, three RBI double in the sixth today was yet another one,” Keister said. “Maybe even more importantly, I feel like we are starting to play better baseball day in and day out, so it should be exciting to see how the next two weeks of our season progress.”
Looking to experiment in a non-Mid-Central Conference match-up, Keister called upon freshman Shane Kurtz (1-1) to start on the mound in Game 1, his first start in 13 appearances on the season. Kurtz responded with a six-and-one-third inning, three run and 10 hit performance, giving Goshen’s battery a chance to keep up.
Following an RBI from freshman Kraig Miller in the bottom of the first inning, however, the Leafs’ offense became stagnant: A total of four hits marked the next four innings for Goshen at the plate, while PNC was able to put together two runs off of eight hits in the same time frame.
The Panthers added another run in the top of the sixth inning, painting the landscape for Colclasure’s key double in the bottom half of the stanza. After freshman Dustin Swartzel reached base on an error, a single from junior Mike Malott put two aboard. Junior Ian Swartz was hit by a pitch, loading the bases for Colclasure with two outs and a 3-1 deficit on the scoreboard.
Like so many other occasions, Colclasure patiently waited for his pitch before sending a deep blast to right-center field, driving in all three base runners — Swartz slid in just under an attempted tag at the plate — giving Goshen a 4-3 lead while enthusing a boisterous crowd of supporters. Kraig Miller singled to follow Colclasure’s feat, driving in the senior for a 5-3 lead.
And while Kurtz was eventually pulled in favor of Kraig Miller (1) with one out retired in the seventh, Keister said he was overly pleased with the usual non-starter’s poise on the mound.
“We got a great performance from Shane Kurtz today,” Keister said. “We have been using him in relief but he will definitely be getting another start after his performance today.”
Colclasure — who already was the program’s all-time home run leader and third-best RBI producer entering this season — finished the game with a 2-4 performance from the plate to go with three RBI and a run scored. Kraig Miller continued his surge as well, going 2-2 with a pair of RBI. Malott and Ian Swartz both provided a pair of singles in the win. Freshman Zach Miller finished 1-3 from the plate.
Goshen wasn’t as successful at the plate in the day’s second contest, as Purdue-North Central tallied four runs in the first three innings while the Leafs couldn’t get on the board until the fourth. Freshman Sean Sears blasted his second home run of the season — in lead-off fashion — in that inning, accounting for half of the team’s run production. A lead-off double from Kraig Miller in the sixth inning was eventually drove in by a single from freshman Aaron Coy in the sixth, but Keister’s team left two on base to conclude the stanza trailing by the final tally.
Freshman Matt Fyfe (0-5) suffered the pitching loss, tossing the complete game while striking out two and giving up five earned runs. Sears finished 2-2 from the plate with an RBI. Coy, Kraig Miller, Ian Swartz, Colclasure and sophomore Kyle Koch all provided one hit apiece.
“In the second game we got a quality start from Matt Fyfe but we didn’t get him enough run support,” Keister said.
Goshen will return to MCC play on Thursday, when the team hosts Taylor University at the Goshen College Baseball Complex. Game time for the first of a double-header is set for 1 p.m.
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Senior Nate Colclasure