Photo by Jordan Kauffman.

Micah Kulp
Contributing Writer

The Maple Leafs went into Saturday’s double header against the Trojans seeking revenge having lost two games for a combined 19 point deficit on the campus of Taylor University just two days prior. The Leafs won game one 3-2 in nine innings but were shutout 0-12 in game two.

In game one, Goshen College was up to the challenge, pulling out a 3-2 victory after nine innings. The Maple Leafs jumped out into game one, scoring two quick runs in the first inning.

“We made the plays when we had to,” said starting pitcher Jason Crocker, a first-year. “Our defense was strong, and we got help from the bench.”

Crocker held the Trojans to two runs on three hits in four innings. Aaron Coy, a junior, relieved Crocker in the fifth inning, pitching a solid four innings, never giving up a single hit and striking out six of the twelve batters he faced.

Aaron Keister, a junior, finished the game, pitching the ninth inning to get the win.

The Leafs walked away with the win in the bottom of the ninth inning after Sean Sears, a junior, scored from second base on a single from Zac Miller, a junior. With the Trojans threatening a potential play at home, Sears kicked the ball out of the glove of Paul Passiales, the Trojans catcher, to secure the win for the Maple Leafs.

In game two, the Leafs looked to use their momentum from game one in an effort to sweep the series at home. However, Goshen struggled on both offense and defense game two.

The Maple Leafs only had two hits all game, while on defense the Leafs could not seem to keep Taylor from scoring. Goshen’s starting pitcher for game two, Brad Elam, a senior, allowed ten runs in four innings, nine of which were earned.

The Leaf’s fell to the Trojans 12-0, splitting the two game series.

With the Trojans behind them, the Maple Leafs now hold a Mid-Central College Conference record of 1-15 with an 8-36 record overall.

After losing both games of the double header at Spring Arbor University on Thursday, the Maple Leafs hosted the Spring Arbor Cougars two days later for another double header series with the chance to draw even.

Starting Maple Leafs pitcher Jason Crocker, a first year, pitched the entire seven innings, keeping the No. 23 nationally-ranked Cougars mostly at bay. Crocker allowed two earned runs and three overall on seven hits, while striking out four and walking one in a 3-1 loss to the Cougars. The struggling Maple Leafs offense knocked in only two hits during game one.

Game two was more of the same.

The Cougars took an early lead, scoring one run in the first inning off of Maple Leafs starting pitcher Shane Kurtz, a junior. The Leafs tied the game 1-1 in the second inning when Spring Arbor pitcher Justin Barber was called on a balk, allowing Goshen to pull in a run.

The Cougars came right back, and put three runs on the board in the third inning with some timely hitting and a botched play in the infield.

The Cougars added an insurance run in the fifth inning off a solo home run, putting their lead at 5-3.

The Maple Leafs rallied in the fifth inning as they finally managed to string together some hits. The Leafs scored two runs in the bottom of the inning, one of which was off a second balk call.

The Maple Leafs were never able to close the gap, as they lost the second game with a final score of 5-3.

Goshen Baseball has had a rough season, but it isn't over yet. Photo by Jordan Kauffman.

Micah Kulp
Contributing Writer

Goshen College baseball entered a doubleheader on Tuesday looking to end their eight game losing streak. The Maple Leafs succeeded not once, but twice in 4-2 and 8-2 wins over Indiana University Northwest at Goshen College.

The starting time of the first game was moved forward to 1 p.m. in an effort to avoid the predicted rain showers that were approaching.

Once the first game was underway, starting pitcher Aaron Keister gave up one run in the top of the first inning, but the Maple Leafs took control with a three run first inning and never looked back.

The Leafs added a fourth run in the fourth inning, taking advantage of a Redhawks throwing error. After the first inning, Keister, a junior, pitched five more innings without giving up a hit, finishing with five strikeouts and sealing the win 4-2.

After a brief break, the Maple Leafs came out swinging in game two.

The Leafs took a commanding lead early on, scoring five runs in the first inning. Goshen added a run in the third inning, capitalizing on one of the Redhawks’ four errors in the game. The Leafs added one more run in each the fourth and sixth innings, walking away with their second win of the day, this time by a score of 8-2.

Pitcher Shane Kurtz, a junior, started the second game and pitched all seven innings, giving up just six hits and two runs with four strikeouts to earn the win.

“The team played great defense to back up good pitching,” said Jason Crocker, a sophomore. “The team really took advantage of situations when we had the chance.”

With this confidence boost, the Maple Leafs will face Spring Arbor University in Michigan on Thursday and then again on Saturday with home field advantage.

The Goshen College baseball team continued a battle with injuries against Davenport University on Thursday as Sean Doering was hit in the face with a pitch during his at-bat in the first inning.

“It was a curve ball that didn’t break,” said Doering, a sophomore. “I went back to the training room and noticed my nose was bleeding. When I started feeling lightheaded and dizzy, they sent me to the hospital for X-rays.”

X-rays showed that Doering had injured two bones in his nose and cheek, sidelining him for the next week and the start of Mid-Central Conference play.

After taking out Doering, the Panthers crossed home plate first, scoring a run off of starting pitcher Shane Kurtz, a junior, in the top of the first inning. The Maple Leafs answered right back with two runs to take the lead 2-1 in the bottom of the first inning. The Panthers scored two runs in both the second and third innings to jump out to an early 5-2 lead.

“We struggled early in the game with some errors and walks,” said Maple Leafs Coach Josh Keister. “After the first couple innings we played pretty well, although we couldn’t quite get enough going offensively.”

The Leafs plated two more runs in the fifth inning, making the score 5-4 going into the sixth inning. Kurtz – who gave up five runs over as many innings – was relieved by Jason Crocker, a first year. Crocker gave up one run over three innings.

Aaron Coy, a junior, finished the game on the mound for the Leafs, which ended in a 6-4 loss.

Despite the loss, Keister took a positive message from the game. “Davenport is a very good team with a good record, so it is good to see that we can compete against a talented team,” Keister said.

“The team is excited to start conference play because although we have struggled so far, we get to start fresh with a 0-0 conference record,” Keister said. “The M.C.C. looks to be very good this year, so we will have to battle for everything we get.”

The Maple Leafs have played six games since the game against Davenport University, and now hold a record of 5-22 overall. Mid-Central Conference play will begin on Thursday with a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at Bethel College in Mishawaka.

Photo by Brandon Long.

With the Three Days Grace hit song “Riot” blaring over the loud speaker, the Maple Leafs baseball team rushed onto the field on Saturday for their first home game of the season.

Originally scheduled to play ball in Kentucky against Berea College, Goshen College was faced with a cancellation due to heavy rain. As the third canceled game in a row, the others being against Concordia University and Asbury College, the Leafs’ head coach Josh Keister was determined his team would see weekend action.

“I probably called every school within a five hour radius of here,” said Keister. “I had actually called Robert Morris to ask the phone number to I.U. Northwest.”

Finding only a dead-end with Indiana University Northwest, it looked as though Goshen College baseball would have to be postponed until next week.

This was the case until Keister got the call.

“Robert Morris called me back at 4 p.m. to say they had been canceled in southern Illinois and were looking for a game,” Keister said. “He was desperate to play because it was going to be a nice day and already had a bus scheduled since they were supposed to be somewhere else.”

Robert Morris College kicked off the double header with two runs to open game one. The Maple Leafs answered back with a two man run to tie the game. But the deadlock did not last long as the Robert Morris Eagles began to pull away by the fifth inning, taking a 7-3 lead.

Refusing to let the Maple Leafs go down without a fight, Tom McDowell, a senior, and Sean Sears, a junior, batted in two runs to close the gap at the bottom of the sixth inning. Robert Morris answered back, adding three points to the scoreboard, but nearly lost their edge with five power hits and four runs by the Maple Leafs in the final inning.

In the end, the Maple Leafs fell one run short of a comeback, ending the game with a 10-9 loss.

Taking charge of the mound in game two was Aaron Coy, a junior, who kept the Eagles at bay, allowing them one run in the first four innings. In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Maple Leafs found themselves with a 2-1 lead, no outs and the bases loaded. Three hits later, the Leafs furthered the gap to 6-1 taking them into the fifth inning.

In an attempt to regain control, Robert Morris managed to score one run in the top of the fifth. The Maple Leafs immediately answered back as McDowell leapt over the catcher and slid into home plate, bringing the score to 8-2.

The Eagles began to creep up on the Maple Leafs but ultimately fell short. Zac Miller, a junior, helped stretch the lead for the Leafs by smashing a hit bringing the score to 10-5. The Leafs held their lead with three quick outs in the final inning claiming victory over Robert Morris.

With this win, the Maple Leafs record is now 3-15.

Commenting on Goshen’s offense performance, Coach Keister had only one thing to say. “[It’s] great to see the bats come alive,” Keister said.

The G.C. Baseball team often practices indoors, using netted batting cages. Photo by Trisha Handrich.

With half of their opening lineup struggling to remain in play, the Maple Leafs traveled to Wilmore, Ky. on Saturday in an attempt to hold their own against Asbury College.

The Asbury Eagles wasted no time opening the double-header by scoring the first run in the bottom of the first inning. The Maple Leafs answered back in the third inning as Matt Fyfe, a junior, stole second and brought a run home to tie the score at one.

The Eagles immediately broke the tie and soared through the fourth inning with six runs. The Maple Leafs scored two more runs by Zach Miller, a junior, and Andy Swisher, a first-year, who has recently been struggling due to an injured hamstring.

“[Swisher] was only about 80 percent on Saturday,” said Maple Leafs Coach Josh Keister, “which is tough for a player like him who relies on his foot speed to be effective.”

Despite their efforts, the Leaf’s fate was sealed in game one with a 8-3 loss.

Asbury proved their opener was no fluke by taking the lead in game two with two runs at the bottom of the first inning. The Maple Leafs refused to be shutout as Kraig Miller, a junior, launched the Maple Leafs’ first home run of the season.

According to Keister, Miller has been struggling with a possible tear of the right knee. “Any twisting or bending of the right leg causes instability and pain,” Keister said.

Miller’s home run – which brings his career total to nine – was not enough to sustain the Maple Leafs for the remainding innings, as the Maple Leafs fell 8-1 in the second game.

The Maple Leafs record now sits at 2-14 overall.

The double-header against Concordia University on Tuesday and an anticipated rematch against Asbury College on Thursday were both canceled due to unfavorable weather.

Zach Reed, Sophomore, went 4-12 over the weekend with the team leading 4 RBIs. Photo by Josh Gleason.

The four game series against Robert Morris College was a big season opener for the Maple Leafs as they traveled to Minneapolis to play in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, home of the Minneapolis Twins. Despite the 50,000 empty seats, excitement was in the air as the team experienced this once in a lifetime opportunity in front of seven to 10 fans.

“It was incredible,” said Maple Leafs Coach Josh Keister. “There is a surprisingly big difference between sitting in the front row and then walking down the tunnel and onto the field for the first time.”

The Leafs’ excitement was magnified with a 3-2 victory over Robert Morris.

“Winning our season opener by scoring the winning run in the bottom of the 7th was definitely a highlight,” Keister said. “We didn’t have any home runs, but Matt Fyfe came half a step from getting an inside-the-parker.”

The Leafs failed to pull through with game two ending in a scoreless 3-0 loss, while an 8-3 defeat wrapped up the third game of the series. Goshen came within inches of winning game four, but slipped in their efforts in the last inning, losing 7-6.

“We had the fourth game won,” Keister said. “We were ahead one run with two outs, but we made two errors by walking two players and ended up losing. If we would have pulled that win off, we would have been extremely happy. As it is, we left with a bitter taste in our mouths because of the tough loss.”

Despite the disappointing outcome, for Matt Fyfe, a junior, the experience at the Metodome was a dream come true.

“I’ve been a Twins fan most of my life,” Fyfe said, “but I’ve never been up to the Metrodome. I felt so much adrenaline and excitement as I walked onto the field. To know that I was playing on the same ground as the players I root for, like Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, was pretty awesome. That’s the kind of stuff you dream about when you’re a little kid. “

The Goshen College baseball team is revving up for their impending game at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. Photo contributed by Public Relations.

Though the bases remain frozen to the Goshen College baseball diamond, weather will not be an issue for the Maple Leafs as they open their season indoors at the Minneapolis Metrodome. This Sunday night, Goshen will go head-to-head in a four game series against Robert Morris College for their stylish season opener.

According to Maple Leafs Coach Josh Keister, the opportunity to play in the home stadium of Major League Baseball’s Minnesota Twins arose when he was contacted by Robert Morris College’s new head coach.

“[The Robert Morris] coach had been to the Metrodome during a previous job,” Keister said. “He was wanting to organize a game there this year, and we happened to be talking about the scheduling for 2009. He told me about the opportunity, and I jumped on it.”

Recalling the rainy disappointment of last season’s opening game in Tennessee, Keister looks forward to no weather interference.

“It is going to be very exciting to play in a major league stadium,” Keister said. “It will also be nice to know we won’t get rained out!”

Goshen College ended last season with two games against Indiana Wesleyan University and a final record of 13-40. Though the Leafs have lost last year’s top performer, Ian Swartz, to graduation, the Leafs are looking at a strong lineup of returning talent as well as new additions to the team.

According to Keister, the team has “several promising freshman this year in pitchers Jason Crocker and Shane Davis, first baseman and center fielder Garrett Cannizzo, outfielder Andy Swisher, first baseman David Stoesz and transfer outfielder Jeff Gouker.”

Due to a difficult Mid-Central College Conference lineup for the season, Keister holds high expectations for consistent improvement.

“We need to keep improving throughout the season, and be playing our best baseball come conference tournament time,” Keister said. “We have a lot of potential, but we need to be able to transfer the potential to game situations all year long.”

Keith Beber, a junior, will broadcast live for 91.1 the Globe from the Minneapolis Metrodome on Sunday at 8:00 p.m. and Monday at 10:30 a.m.