GOSHEN, Ind. — The Goshen College softball team was seemingly overpowered this past Friday against the NAIA’s third-ranked Marian University Knights losing 4-1 and 13-2 at the John Ingold Athletic Complex.
Senior Alexis Carpenter threw a complete game in the first of two sitting down 16 of 17 batters through three innings.The Knights (18-1, 9-0 Crossroads League) got on the scoreboard first with a solo shot to center field in the top of the fourth inning.
Goshen (11-20, 3-9 CL) got its first hit in the bottom of the same inning with a pair of singles from sophomore Katherine Boyer but could not capitalize until the sixth inning as Cassandra Espinoza, a first-year, hit a one-out double. Espinoza then advanced to third on a wild pitch allowing Sandra Rodriguez, a sophomore, hit a ground ball to first to score Espinoza and knot the game up at one a piece.
However, Marian was able to string together a pair of hits along with two sacrifices to score three runs in the bottom half of the inning to allow Marian to snag a 4-1 victory. Carpenter twirled against 24 Knight hitters, allowing five hits while walking and striking out one.
The second of the two games was a little bit of a different story. Marian did all of their damage in two innings beginning with a five-run first inning from the Knights as they batted through their lineup with four hits.
The Knights struck again in the fourth inning. This time the Knights brought 14 hitters to the plate in route to eight runs. Goshen scored a run in the second inning after Taylor Sutliff, a junior, drove in fellow junior McKinzi Vega.
The third inning began when Espinoza reached on an error before Boyer singled to score her. The only other glimmer of hope came in the fourth as first-year’s Rianna Koteles singled and Allison White reached on an error in the fourth all to no avail.
Carpenter took the loss in this one, lasting three innings before handing the ball to Leah Hermann, a first-year.
Hermann was unable to record an out in the top of the fourth as she allowed four runs (three earned) on three Marian hits. Brooke Maes, a senior, took the ball for the final two innings of the shortened mercy-rule affair, allowing no runs despite three Knight knocks.
The Leafs reached the win column twice in their most recent contest on Tuesday against rival Bethel College. Goshen grabbed the doubleheader by margins of 4-3 and 10-1.
The ladies will return to action this coming Friday as they travel to Indiana Wesleyan University for a twin bill beginning at 4 p.m.