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APR.
12 — Leafs Secure First Win At Indiana Tech, 5-3
Timely
hitting and solid pitching performance key first win of season
for Goshen |
Fort Wayne, IN — It may have
occurred a bit later in the season than Goshen head coach Marc
Green would have liked, but the Leafs’ first win of the year
couldn’t have came at a better time, or a better place for
that matter. Facing a talented Indiana Tech squad in a double-header
Tuesday afternoon in Fort Wayne, it was a solid all-around performance
that triggered a 5-3 Goshen win in Game One, ending a 14-game losing
skid for the Leafs in the process. Eight of those losses had come
by three runs or less, making Tuesday’s win over the Warriors
a long overdue accomplishment, according to Green.
“I have told the girls all season that if we continue to
play hard, good things willl happen,” Green said. “It
finally came together today.”
Senior Rachel Solmos (1-7) and a steady defense were a big reasons
the Leafs had a chance to beat Indiana Tech, as the team allowed
the Warriors only a single run in the second, third and fourth
innings. Keeping Tech’s run production to a minimum allowed
Goshen’s two-run fourth inning to put the team right back
into the mix, as the defense and pitching continued to stay above
par. Solmos struck out four batters and walked just three going
the distance, and several players stepped up at the plate for a
big fifth inning.
With two outs on the board, freshman Faith Borrell drilled a single
past the infield to score a pair of runs, giving the Leafs a 5-3
lead. That score would not change as both teams could not get things
going on the basepaths for the remainder. The Leafs had their first
win of the season against a team competing right at the .500 mark
(Indiana Tech was 11-14 coming into the game.
“Faith had a clutch hit to give us the go-ahead runs, and
we were solid defensively the rest of the way,” Green said. “It
was a great team effort.”
Borrell’s single in the fifth inning was her only hit of
the game, but her two RBIs were Goshen’s only runs batted
in for the contest. Sophomore Stacie Scott finished 2-4 from the
plate with a double, as did freshman Erin Layman who scored twice.
Freshman Brandie Dalton was 1-2 with a pair of runs scored, while
senior Megan Morris finished 1-3 from the plate.
In the day’s second contest, Indiana Tech was again able
to string together three consecutive one-run innings, taking a
3-0 lead over Goshen just three innings in to the contest. Layman
(0-2) finally settled down in the pitching circle, not allowing
another Warrior run to cross the plate in throwing the complete
game. It looked as if the Leafs would make a comeback in the sixth
inning, as Layman and freshman Erica Weaver were able to score,
making it a 3-2 contest. Unfortunately, Goshen could not bring
the tying run across the plate, and Indiana Tech had survived with
a 3-2 win.
Weaver led the team’s charge at the plate, going 2-3 with
a run scored and a double. Freshman Tera Brackman was 1-3, while
Scott finished 1-4. Solmos was able to knock in a run in the fifth
inning on a sacrifice fly.
“We had a good effort coming back after being down three
runs for most of the game,” Green said. “Erin pitched
a very good game and Erica Weaver was exceptional at the plate.
We’ll
try to take today’s effort and carry it over back into conference
play later this week.”
Goshen will next travel to Mid-Central Conference rival Huntington
College on Thursday. Game time is set for 3 p.m.
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Game 1 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
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Goshen |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
8 |
2 |
|
Ind. Tech |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
8 |
1 |
|
Game 2 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
Goshen |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
|
Ind. Tech |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
- |
3 |
6 |
4 |
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  Freshman
Faith Borrell
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