Grace pulls away from Goshen with six-run sixth in 10-0 result

Grace broke the game open with a six-run sixth inning and handed Goshen a 10-0 loss Friday at Tom Roy - UPI Park in Winona Lake, Indiana. The Maple Leafs stayed within striking distance early, but Grace turned a 3-0 game into a rout with a string of run-scoring hits in the middle innings.

Grace set the tone in the first. Jose Ayala lined a shallow single to left that brought home Carter Stogsdill and Matt Friesema for a 2-0 lead. Goshen starter AJ Lenn settled in after that opening damage and kept the deficit there for much of his outing. Lenn worked 4 2/3 innings, allowing five hits and three earned runs while striking out four.

The lead grew to 3-0 in the fifth when Matt Friesema singled to right to score Grant Rojek. From there, the decisive stretch came quickly. Ian Wilson opened the sixth-inning surge with a shallow single to center that scored Mayo Fernandez. Joey Diaz followed with a double down the left-field line to drive in Wilson, and Stogsdill later added an RBI single to right. Ayala capped the inning with another RBI single to left as Grace sent six runs across and built a 9-0 advantage.

Goshen struggled to generate offense against Grace starter Sam Justice and the Lancers' staff. Justice threw six no-hit innings, walking four and striking out five on 86 pitches. Grace's pitchers combined to allow just two hits over eight scoreless innings with eight strikeouts. Goshen finished with two hits, four walks and nine runners left on base.

Ayala led Grace's offense by going 2 for 3 with three RBIs, while Friesema scored three runs, collected two hits, drove in one and stole three bases. Grace finished with 11 hits and seven stolen bases. Goshen committed four errors, and only seven of Grace's 10 runs were earned.

The Lancers added one more run in the eighth when Friesema came around to score, closing out a game in which Grace controlled the key moments from the first inning on.