(Game 1 Stats) (Game 2 Stats) Goshen, IN — Just one week after playing Mid-Central Conference leader Bethel College to a narrow, 1-0 decision (click here for related article), the Goshen College softball team could not duplicate that effort in 0-14 and 1-17 losses to Indiana Wesleyan University Monday afternoon at the Goshen College Softball Complex.
Wesleyan — with a current tight-grip on second place in the MCC standings — limited Goshen (4-13, 1-7) to just six hits on the afternoon, all of which came in the day’s second game. The Leafs were blanked — for the first time this season — in Monday’s Game 1, where IWU pitcher Hillary Meals came just an error away from tossing a perfect four innings of work. Only Leafs’ freshman Diana Stanley reached base safely, taking advantage of a bobbled fly ball in the bottom of the fifth against Wesleyan relief.
Stanley turned out to be Goshen’s best offensive threat on the entire day, as in the second game she came up with the squad’s only RBI. After falling behind by a 3-0 count in the first inning, freshman Heather FitzSimmons led off with a single in the bottom of the second. Sophomore Haly Williamson followed with a double, and Stanley drove in FitzSimmons with a blast into centerfield.
Senior Faith Borrell, sophomore Amy Clem and freshman Kathryn Schlabach all singled in the day’s second game, while Goshen was unable to make as much use of a stiff wind blowing out to left-center field as the Wildcats did: Indiana Wesleyan knocked out four home runs on the day, evenly divided between the games.
Junior Tera Brackman (0-5) suffered the pitching loss in Game 1, while Williamson (1-3) was saddled with the Game 2 defeat. Both pitchers went the distance. Goshen was struck out just three times in the second game, following a six strike-out effort in Game 1.
“We were never in the games today, and that is upsetting,” said Linda Bontrager, Goshen head coach. “Something is bothering the team right now. Our plans are to get focused in practice and translate that into hits the next time we step on the field competitively.
“We did a better job in the second game today, and typically we’ve done better in the second games of double-headers,” she continued. “We had less strike outs and made better contact in the second game.”
This week's winter weather blast postponed Goshen's next scheduled contest — an MCC double-header against Huntington University — and moved the team's next game date to Tuesday, Apr. 10. Goshen is scheduled to travel to MCC rival Spring Arbor University on that date, with the first of two games beginning at 3 p.m. The Leafs’ contest with Huntington has been rescheduled to Saturday, Apr. 14. Check Goshen’s schedule page for the most up-to-date game dates and times.
|
Freshman Diana Stanley