Crapser’s Walk-Off Single Secures Split With Saint Francis
GOSHEN, Ind. — The Goshen College softball team its their seventh game of the season in dramatic fashion, walking off against the University of Saint Francis in game two of their afternoon doubleheader with the Cougars at the John Ingold Athletic Complex. The Leafs dropped game one 8-1 before rebounding to win 2-1 in game two on a Courtney Crapser single with no outs in the seventh.
Goshen (7-13, 4-10 Crossroads League) found themselves down 5-1 after three innings as Saint Francis (8-11, 5-9) put the game away with a 3-run sixth inning to take the day’s opening game.
Alexis Carpenter was the Maple Leafs’ starting pitcher and threw 3 innings before Brooke Maes finished the final four frames. Carpenter also drove in the Leafs’ only run of the game when her third-inning base hit brought Maes in to score.
Heather Zengler threw all 7 innings for the Cougars and allowed a single run on 5 hits with 3 strikeouts. Breanna Pryor and Ramsie Hurlock each drove in a game-high 2 runs with Ashleigh Morrow, Dana Claussen and Morgan Hubble also recording RBIs. Pryor also led the Cougars with 2 runs scored in the victory.
Game two saw the Cougars again strike first, with a run in the top of the first creating a 1-0 lead that held until the sixth inning. Maes got the bottom of the sixth started with a leadoff home run that barely cleared the center-field fence on a 2-2 pitch; that tied the score at a run apiece going into the final inning.
The dinger chased Saint Francis starter Katy Guebard, who received no decision after five-plus innings of one-run hurling and 82 pitches. Reliever Dana Claussen allowed a walk and a two-out single but no runs, and Carpenter retired the Cougars without a run in the top of the seventh.
Carpenter posted a complete-game win with 109 pitches, allowing six singles and a walk while striking out two and inducing 10 groundouts.
Allison White led off the bottom of the inning with a four-pitch walk, followed two pitches later by a Sutter double that moved her to third. Batting for Krista Sutliff, Crapser fouled off five straight pitches before firing a single to center to end the game.
Sutter led the Leafs in hits with a 3 for 4 performance at the plate. Pryor scored the Cougars’ lone run in the contest and tied Abby Skura for the team-high in hits with identical 2 for 2 games.
Goshen will be back in action on Tuesday, traveling to Indianapolis to play the fourth-ranked team in the nation, the Knights of Marian University First pitch for game one is scheduled for 3 p.m., kicking off a two-week road trip and a stretch that sees GC play six of its next seven doubleheaders on the road.