BASEBALL

Playing in their last home doubleheader of the year, the Forester baseball team split with Goshen College, 3-0, 2-3, to move to 18-20 overall, 16-8 in league play. With three regular season games remaining, HU is already locked in at the No. 3 spot in the league standings and will face Goshen again on Friday at 10AM in quarterfinal action of the league tournament at Taylor University.

Goshen (21-25, 12-15) couldn’t crack Connor West in game one. The junior southpaw entered the day ranked 5th in the NAIA in total hits allowed (33) and 9th in total earned runs allowed (12) and lived up to his billing. He surrendered just four hits and three walks while striking out four for the complete-game shutout. The win is West’s sixth and the fourth time HU has held an opponent scoreless this year.

Offensively, Huntington finished with just four hits but bundled three of them together in the fourth to plate all three of their runs. Hunter Losekamp was hit by a pitch to start things off. Nick Davit singled, as did Adrian Perez to set up Jake Hansen’s sac fly for HU’s first run. With Davit and Perez in scoring position, Tyler Zimske delivered a shot into center for a two-run single.

The Foresters were forced to play catchup in the nightcap as the Maple Leafs opened up a 2-0 lead through five and added another to their total in the top of the sixth before HU finally found home in their half of the frame. After a walk on either side of a Losekamp single, Hansen was hit by a pitch to bring home his team’s first run.

Frame’s crew threatened with a runner in scoring position in the eighth but came up empty before giving themselves a chance for a heroic comeback in their last at bat. Zimske opened up the ninth by being the third Forester to be hit by a pitch. Donovan Clark cranked out a clutch single into left after which Jamar Weaver drew a walk to load the bases with one out.

Adam Roser did his part with a sacrifice fly to drive run No. 2 but GC reliever Colby Malson worked the final out to preserve his team’s win and pick up the save.

Alex McCutcheon tossed the first five frames to suffer the loss giving up four hits, two runs and a walk while striking out three.