Goshen drops 8-7 softball game at Huntington after late rally swings result
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GOS | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| HUN | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | X | 8 |
Goshen College built an early five-run cushion Tuesday night, but Huntington answered with a four-run sixth inning and handed the Maple Leafs an 8-7 loss in Huntington, Indiana. The decisive blow came from Maddie Goheen, whose three-run double in the bottom of the sixth turned a two-run deficit into an 8-6 Huntington lead.
The Maple Leafs looked in control after erupting for five runs in the top of the third. Goshen strung together key hits in the inning, with Rachel Kates capping the surge with an RBI single as the lead grew to 5-0. Huntington responded quickly, though, getting a two-RBI single from Goheen in the bottom half to trim the margin to 5-2.
Huntington kept chipping away in the fourth. Makinzie Kline delivered a two-run double to left-center, cutting Goshen's lead to 5-4. The Maple Leafs answered in the fifth when Esme Pico drove in a run with a single to center, pushing the advantage to 6-4 and giving Goshen another chance to regain control.
Goshen finished with 12 hits, one more than Huntington, and got big production from Pico and Tatem Adams. Pico went 3 for 4 with a double, three RBIs and a stolen base. Adams also went 3 for 4 with an RBI, while working all six innings in the circle for Goshen. The Maple Leafs also stole three bases and left five runners on base.
But Huntington's lineup broke through again in the sixth. After the hosts pieced together another rally, Goheen doubled to center field for three RBIs as part of the four-run inning that put Huntington in front for the first time since Goshen's third-inning outburst. Goheen finished 2 for 3 with a double, five RBIs and a walk, while Kline added three RBIs. Kayelee Dudzik scored twice and went 3 for 3 for Huntington, which played error-free defense.
The Maple Leafs made one more push in the seventh. Pico doubled home a run to cut the deficit to 8-7, putting the tying run on base, but Goshen could not bring home the equalizer before Huntington closed out the win.
