WMVO Good Times Great Oldies
GOSHEN, Ind. — The Mount Vernon Nazarene University baseball team (30-16, 18-14 CL) wrapped up their final road doubleheader of the regular season on Thursday, April 17, at J. Harold ‘Sarge’ Yoder Baseball Field, taking on the Goshen College Maple Leafs (7-33, 6-26 CL).
Game 1 Summary:
In the second inning, Goshen took an early lead with an RBI single through the right side, bringing in the game’s first run. However, MVNU responded in the third, tying the game after scoring on a wild pitch. The Cougars gained the lead in the fourth with a Brandon Cokeley sacrifice fly to left field that brought in Kaid Carpenter to make it 2-1. Goshen quickly answered in the bottom of the inning with a bases-loaded walk that tied the game at 2-2.
In the fifth, MVNU pulled ahead again with a Brady Lester single to right field that scored one run, followed by a fielding error in right field that allowed another run to score, extending the lead to 4-2.
Goshen narrowed the gap with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Cougars added two more runs in the sixth on a Grant Moore double down the left-field line, but Goshen answered in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run homer to make it 6-5.
Brennen Nichols tacked on another run in the seventh with a single to the pitcher, increasing the lead to 7-5. Goshen stormed back with a four-run inning, sparked by a two-run single, a bases-loaded walk, and a sacrifice fly, flipping the game to a 9-7 advantage.
In the eighth, the Cougars showed resilience, tying the game with back-to-back RBI doubles from Lester and Carpenter to make the score 9-9.
However, Goshen capitalized on the wild pitch in the bottom of the inning, scoring the go-ahead run and sealing a 10-9 win.
Game 2 Summary:
The lone run of the series finale came in the top of the fifth inning when Moore laid down a sacrifice bunt to the pitcher, bringing Carter LaPata home. MVNU secured a 1-0 victory to close out the series.
Jared Hurlburt turned in a dominant performance on the mound, going seven scoreless innings while allowing just three hits. He didn’t issue a walk, struck out 11 batters, and didn’t surrender a run, earning the win to improve to 4-3 on the season.
What’s Next:
The Cougars will conclude their regular season on Thursday, April 24, with their final home series of the regular season against Huntington University. First pitch for game one is slated for 2:00 p.m.