Sports Editor

GOSHEN – Goshen head coach Chad Dube watched hopes of a Class 2A playoff berth disappear with a 13-6 defeat at the hands of Straughn on Tuesday.

And on Thursday, he watched his team fight back to tie the game and send it into extra innings only to fall by three runs to Highland Home, 12-9.

That’s just sort of the way things have gone for the Eagles this year.

Seven walks, seven errors, and three hit batters cost Goshen against Straughn as the Eagles allowed 11 unearned runs to come home, but out-hit the Tigers nine to seven.

Again, against the Flying Squadron, Goshen got contributions from the top of the order (a combined 10-for-16) but a Highland Home hit slipped through into centerfield in the eighth inning and kept on rolling, resulting in a two-base error and a runner coming home to break a 9-9 tie. Two more Squadron runs would come home in the top of the inning and the Eagles would go down in order to end the game.

"It’s just the same stuff we’ve done all year long," said Dube. "But if there’s one thing I can say about these kids is that they’ve never given up. Not in any game we’ve played. And at no point did they give up in this game."

The Eagles fought back, scoring five runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie the score at 8-8. With his team nursing a one run lead in the seventh, Highland Home pitcher Charles Wayne recorded two outs, but then got in trouble, walking Matt Johnson and then giving up back-to-back hits; one by Chad Sanders and the other by Clarence Bean to load the bases. Wayne then hit Averick Rogers with a pitch to send home the tying run.

But with the bases still juiced, Goshen couldn’t capitalize as Wesley Wright grounded to short, forcing Rogers out at second.

Jason Burgans and Rogers both went 3-for-4 to lead the Eagles. Bean and Wright each were 2-for-4, with Wright adding a triple RBI in the fifth. Sanders and Judson Ricks were 1-for-2.

The Eagles close out the season at Highland Home on Saturday and against Luverne next week.