Fourth-inning rally not enough as Goshen falls 14-4 at Indiana Wesleyan
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | final | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GOS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| IND | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 14 |
MARION, Ind. — A three-run fourth inning briefly brought Goshen College back into striking distance Friday afternoon, but a hot Indiana Wesleyan lineup proved too much as the Maple Leafs dropped a 14-4 decision in seven innings at Crandall Field.
Goshen (Ind.) fell behind 6-0 after two innings as Indiana Wesleyan struck for two runs in the first and four more in the second. The Maple Leafs answered in the fourth, cutting the deficit in half behind a key swing from junior infielder Nathan Pinedo, but the Wildcats continued to tack on runs in the middle and late innings to pull away.
Trailing by six, Goshen mounted its best push in the top of the fourth. After the Maple Leafs put traffic on the bases, Pinedo ripped a two-run double down the right-field line to plate two and trim the Indiana Wesleyan lead to 6-3. Goshen added another run in the sixth when Joel Berkholz drove a single through the right side to bring home an unearned run and make it 10-4 before the Wildcats’ three-run seventh invoked the run rule.
Indiana Wesleyan’s early surge put Goshen in catch-up mode from the start. The Wildcats opened the scoring in the first on a run-scoring double to left-center by Trevor Vojtkofsky that brought in leadoff hitter Greg Vineyard. In the second, Vineyard delivered again, launching a two-run home run as part of a four-run frame that pushed the margin to six. The Wildcats added single runs in the third and fourth before a two-run homer by Nick Wiley in the fifth and a three-run seventh, highlighted by a pinch-hit RBI single from Mark Snowden, closed out the offense.
Offensively, Goshen finished with four runs on six hits and did not commit an error. Pinedo’s two-run double accounted for half of the Maple Leafs’ RBIs, while Berkholz’s sixth-inning single provided the final tally. Goshen also drew a pair of walks and put runners in motion but was cut down on its lone stolen-base attempt, limiting the ability to extend innings against Indiana Wesleyan starter Cam Lafuze.
On the mound, starter AJ Lenn and the Goshen bullpen were forced to navigate a Wildcat lineup that totaled 20 hits, including six doubles, two triples and two home runs. Indiana Wesleyan used timely extra-base hitting and five sacrifice flies to continually apply pressure and capitalize on run-scoring opportunities. Lafuze earned the win for the hosts, working six innings and allowing four runs, three of them earned.
Vineyard and Vojtkofsky led Indiana Wesleyan’s attack, with Vineyard going 4-for-5 with a home run, triple, four runs scored and two RBIs, and Vojtkofsky adding four hits, three RBIs, two doubles, a triple and a sacrifice fly. Despite the loss, the Maple Leafs’ fourth-inning surge and error-free defense provided positives to build on as Goshen continues through its early-season schedule.
