Goshen, IN — Honoring its four
senior players in Rachel Solmos, Tara Haynes, Alissa Kostyk and
Megan Morris, the Goshen College softball team concluded its regular-season
with a feat never done before in program history.
Saturday against Kalamazoo College, the Leafs pitched a pair of
no-hitters, defeating the Hornets by 3-1 and 10-0 scores. It was
the first time in the program’s 13-year history that a Goshen
team had pitched a pair of no-hitters on the same day, as Solmos
(4-10) collected the win in Game One while freshman Tera Brackman
(2-7) tossed the no-no in the day’s second contest. Pretty
good timing, at least by head coach Marc Green’s standards.
“What a way to send off our seniors,” Green said. “Rachel
and Tera both were outstanding, and it was a very good day for
our program. Now, if we can take some momentum from this into the
MCC post-season, we’ve got a great chance at upsetting someone.”
Things got off to a solid start Saturday afternoon, as sunshine
and a cool breeze made the playing conditions nearly ideal. Goshen
(6-21, 2-14) began rolling from the outset, scoring three runs
in the first two innings of play to grab a 3-0 lead while Solmos
kept the Hornets hitless. Incredibly, Kalamazoo was able to score
an unearned run after two Leafs’ errors gave Kalamazoo a
chance. The Leafs defense then solidified, as Solmos struck out
seven batters en route to her first no-hitter of the season.
“Rachel has been our co-captain all season, and she will
end her career with most of the program’s pitching records,” Green
said. “She has consistently been one of the best pitchers
in the conference over her four years and will be very hard to
replace.”
Assisting Solmos were classmates Kosytk and Haynes in the Game
One win, as Kostyk drove in a run while Haynes was 2-2 from the
plate with a run scored. Solmos helped her cause with an RBI as
well.
“Alissa has been a co-captain and an excellent leader for
us,” Green
said. “She has played every position in the last two years,
and has been very versatile. Tara is a great all-around player
that is very softball smart. She has helped out our younger players
immensely.”
Green got a solid contribution from the newcomers in Game Two,
as Brackman struck out nine in her first collegiate no-hitter.
Classmates Erica Weaver and Brandie Dalton were big at the plate,
with Dalton churning out a triple in punching in three RBI while
Weaver doubled. Solmos drove in three runs going 2-3 from the plate,
while Kosytk reached base on a double as well, going 2-2 with one
RBI.
Goshen’s seniors were honored between games, as parents joined
them with flowers and cards.
“We got a big contribution from all of our seniors today,” Green
said. “Megan Morris has come a very, very long way to improve
her batting average by over .100 points and has improved her overall
game. It will be sad to see these seniors go, but we hopefully
have quite a bit of softball left to play.”
Update: Goshen College lost its Mid-Central Conference
Tournament play-in game by a 3-4 score to Huntington College on
Monday. A
complete game recap
will be available on this web site as soon as details become available.
With the loss, Goshen concludes its season.
|
Game 1 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
K'Zoo |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Goshen |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
- |
3 |
6 |
2 |
|
Game 2 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
R |
H |
E |
|
K'Zoo |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Goshen |
1 |
2 |
6 |
1 |
- |
12 |
12 |
1 |
|
  Seniors
Rachel Solmos, Alissa Kostyk, Tara Haynes, Megan
Morris
|
|
|
|
