On Tuesday, the Goshen College Baseball team traveled to Fort Wayne to play the Mastodons of Indiana-Purdue University-Fort Wayne, falling 10-2.
The Maple Leafs got off to fast start, scoring the game’s opening run in the top of the first when Mike Namisnak, junior, had an RBI (run batted in) that allowed Brad Stoltzfus, sophomore, to score, giving Goshen a 1-0 lead.The Mastodons didn’t waste any time on offense, however, striking for six runs in the bottom of the first inning to grab a 6-1 lead-a lead that IPFW never relinquished. The hosts would tack on insurance runs in the bottom of the third and sixth innings to extend their lead to 10-1.
Goshen would score again in the top of the seventh when Vincent Caschera, junior, singled home Preston Carr, junior, to make it a 10-2 game. Goshen was unable to produce any more runs, as the Mastodons kept the Maple Leafs off the bases and off the board over the final two innings to take a 10-2 victory. The Leafs were unable to string hits together, recording only a pair of multi-hit innings across nine innings of play, and left a total of 12 runners on base while striking out eight times as a team.
Offensively Goshen was led by Stoltzfus who recorded a team-high two hits. Caschera and Namisnak recorded an RBI apiece and Stoltzfus, Caschera and Carr were each walked once.
James Stricker, first-year, got the start on the mound for the Maple Leafs, with Tyler Waslawski, sophomore, Xavier Luna, freshman, Kyle Kotecki, freshman, Chandler Ingle, freshman, Connor Clemens, freshman, and Brad Lantz, junior, all pitching in relief.
With the loss, the Maple Leaf record drops to 10-20 (2-2 conference) on the season. Goshen is in action again on Thursday afternoon when they will host the Bethel College Pilots in a doubleheader. The first pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
