In game one of the series, Riley Perlich took the mound to start for the Cougars. The Cougar offense put on a really special show to start the game as 6 of their runs early would come off multiple homeruns. First, it would start with a Jayden Lepper 3-run homerun in the 2nd inning. Then, Kolton Cardenas would hit a 2-run homerun followed by an Eli Riley solo homerun in the 6th to make it 6-0. Goshen would respond with a ground rule RBI, a single, and 2 walks to make it 6-4 in the 6th. But, that Cougar offense kept rolling as the Cougars scored off a wild pitch and sacrifice fly in the 7th to make it 8-4. The Cougars offense exploded in the 8th again with a single, an Xavier Croxton 3-run homerun, and a Nick Parsons solo homerun making it 13-4. Goshen would respond only with a single in the 8th to make it 13-5, but after this the Maple Leaf's offense would stall out. The Cougars offense would end the day with 2 singles, 2 scores off an error, and a sacrifice fly to make it 18-5 in the 9th closing game one of the series with a victory. 

In the second game of the series, Blaine McRae took the mound to start for the Cougars. The strong Cougar offense would open the game in a big fashion with a David Miller solo homerun and a fielders choice error to make it 2-0 in the 1st inning. Goshen would respond with a single in the 3rd to make it 2-1. But, the Cougars managed to score a 2-run single to make it 4-1, but not before GC responded by scoring off an error to make it 4-2 in the 4th. The Cougars took advantage of a wild pitch, but once again, Goshen responded with a single and took advantage of an error to make it 5-4 in the 5th. Noah Mack helped by adding a single in the 6th to make it 6-4, but Goshen again responded with a 2-run single making it a tie game at 6-6. Kolton Cardenas would lead the charge in the 8th with a single and stealing a base which caused a Goshen fielding error making it 8-6. But, Goshen once again took advantage off 2 RBIs making it a tie game once again at 8-8. After what seemed like an endless battle, the Cougars finally got the edge and scored a Nick Parsons 2-run homerun and a single in the 9th to make it 11-8. The Cougars would secure the 11-8 victory and get a series win. 

The Cougars next series will be against Goshen in Goshen, Indiana on Saturday with a 1PM first pitch. Game two of the doubleheader and four-game series will follow 30minutes after the last out is recorded from game one. 

Cougar fans, stay updated with all events and recaps with USF Athletics by visiting saintfranciscougars.com or by downloading the Saint Francis Cougars app.

-Hayden Williamson-