MISHAWAKA, Ind. --- The Bethel Pilots (8-10, 1-7) won the first two games of the US Highway 20 Cup series with the Goshen Maple Leafs (2-16, 1-7) at Jenkins Stadium on Friday.
GAME 1
Goshen struck first off a wild pitch in the top of the first, but
Jesse Stout answered in the bottom of the frame with an RBI single to left to bring home
Adam Walters to tie the game 1-1.
In the top of the second, the Maple Leafs roped in two runs with a single to right, but
Jordan Landkrohn brought in Stout on an RBI single, then tied the game 3-3 from an RBI single to left from
Corbin Greenslade.
Goshen drove in two more runs in the top of the fourth from a single to right to make it a 5-3 game, but
Hudson Francis answered with an RBI single to right in the bottom of the sixth and a delayed double steal to tie the game 5-5.
Stout gave the Pilots the lead with an RBI single to right and Bethel won 6-5 after three shutout innings.
Peter Wallsmith (2-1) was given the win after relieving
Noah Borwege in the fourth and threw six innings, allowing five runs, walking one, and striking out 10 batters.
GAME 2
The nightcap began with
Jordan Landkrohn hitting a sacrifice fly to right in the bottom of the first, plating
Adam Walters for the first run of the game, followed by
Jacob Sitterly's RBI single to left center, 2-0.
Four scoreless innings later, Goshen answered with an RBI single to right center and scored off an error by the second baseman to tie the game in the top of the sixth.
Bethel fought back in the bottom of the sixth with a no-doubt two-run bomb by
Jacob Sitterly and an RBI triple by
Drew Deming to win 5-2.
Weston Harvey (1-2) got the win after six innings of work and allowed seven hits, two runs (one earned) and struck out 12 batters.
Tim Dillehay closed the game in the seventh and shut the game down except for one walk for his first save of the season.
The Pilots finish the series on Saturday, March 15, with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. at Jenkins Stadium.
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