Over the weekend, the Goshen softball team traveled to Rosemont, Illinois, to challenge Roosevelt University in the Rosemont Dome. The Maple Leafs looked to get their first victory of the season out of the double header, but were swept by the hosting Lakers.
Goshen struggled in the first game and never really settled into a rhythm offensively, collecting only 4 hits in the game. Sophomore Jessica Cagigas threw all 6 innings for the Maple Leafs, striking out 2 in the process. Cagigas also collected a pair of Goshen’s 4 hits, with senior Melanie Meyer and sophomore Miranda Robles adding a hit apiece. Roosevelt’s Morgan Vogt had Goshen’s number, surrendering only 4 hits while sitting 6 Maple Leafs down on strikes in a complete game shutout.If the first game was largely uneventful, game 2 was far from it, as Goshen and Roosevelt went 9 innings before the winner was decided. The Lakers managed to eventually outlast the Maple Leafs with a walk off single in the bottom of the 9th for a 4-3 win.
Roosevelt looked to make an early statement in game 2, as they scored 3 runs in the bottom of the first. Unfazed, the Maple Leafs would slowly begin to chip away at that lead, one run at a time. With the bases loaded in the 2nd inning, Cagigas drew a walk, which brought junior Morgan Owens in to score. Owens would again score two innings later in the top of the 4th, when Robles would draw a walk, cutting the Lakers lead to a single run. In the 6th inning, Robles’ single would bring first-year Brooke Maes around to score, tying the game at 3 runs each. The teams battled for two extra innings before Roosevelt’s Alexis Funk ended the game with a single to left field, bringing home Xenia Senisais.
Goshen managed only 4 hits in the contest but worked the count impressively for 9 walks. Robles collected a pair of RBIs with Cagigas adding the other. Goshen’s pitcher, Kylee Welch, went the distance, throwing 8.2 innings and striking out 4, before finally being saddled with the disappointing loss.
With the losses to Roosevelt, Goshen’s record falls to 0-11 this year. The Maple Leafs have a break until they host Taylor University on March 20 when they will look to enter the win column for the first time this season.