GOSHEN — On a night when the Goshen Dugout Club honored the 1967 Redskin sectional championship team, the current crop of Goshen High School baseball players responded with an 8-6 NLC win over the visiting Plymouth Pilgrims Wednesday night at Phend Field.

Goshen won the first of 17 sectional titles in 1967, the first year of the IHSAA baseball state tournament, under the direction of coach Ken Mirer. The coach, one of his assistants and five of his former players were on hand for the game, including pitching standout Royce Cripe who threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

“To have Ken Mirer and Devon Hoffman here tonight is all a part of Redskin baseball history,” Goshen coach Hal Farmwald said. “Having Royce Cripe throw out the first pitch was really neat. I was glad the kids were able to pull the game out. I wish we could do something like this every night to get the kids fired up.”

Also before the game, the Dugout Club presented former Goshen News Sports Editor Stu Swartz with a plaque for his numerous contributions to the program over the years.

The Redskins have lost a number of close, low-scoring games this season so an 8-run, 12-hit outburst was a pleasant surprise against Plymouth.

“We hit the ball up and down the lineup, but let’s be honest about it Plymouth has played Warsaw the last two nights so they were a little short on pitching,” Farmwald said. “We need to take advantage of things like that and tonight we did. Our pitching was pretty good until the last inning.”

The Redskins were leading 8-2 going into the top of the seventh before letting the Pilgrims make it interesting.

“We can’t do anything easy,” Farmwald said.

Sophomore Jorge Pizana was the starting pitcher for the Redskins. Plymouth scored a run on three hits in the top of the first before Pizana settled in and allowed just one more run and two hits over his four innings of work. When he left the pitcher’s mound to play second base Goshen was up 5-2.

“After the first inning my thoughts were on my mechanics and keeping the ball down low,” Pizana said. “Once our bats started to get going my confidence level went up. Pitching with a lead does that.”

The Redskins answered Plymouth’s run by scoring two in the bottom of the first. Junior Sylas Buller drove in a run with a double and so did classmate Travis Pickard on a fielder’s choice.

Goshen added three more runs in the third as senior Warren Kay drove in one with a bases loaded walk, senior Diego Garcia one on a fielder’s choice and senior Hunter Rivera another on a sacrifice fly.

The team scored three more in the fifth as Kay and junior Tyler Slagel singled and scored on a triple by junior Austin Henke that just landed in front of the 360-foot sign in dead center. Henke scored on a single by Pizana.

Plymouth scored its four runs in the seventh aided by three walks and a hit batsman.

What turned out to be a key play in the seventh was by an agile Pickard behind the plate. A pitch got by the three-year starter and went to the backstop. Pickard pounced on the ball and fired a strike to junior relief pitcher Jake Jesse who tagged out Plymouth junior Ike Kastner at the plate.

“It didn’t look like it at the time but Pickard’s play turned out to be a big one,” Farmwald said. “When he is behind the plate I’m shocked to see a ball get by him and go to the fence. “We have started letting him call his own pitches and he does a good job of mixing things up. He also had the ability to calm the pitchers down. He is a huge defensive asset for us.

Pizana said, “Pickard is a very good catcher. He keeps the ball in front of him. Pitching with him behind the plate gives you confidence.”

Linescore

Plymouth    100 100 4 — 8-10-1

Goshen    203 030 x — 8-12-1

Pitching: (Goshen) Jorge Pizana (W, 4-3) two strikeouts and three walks, Jake Jesse, Hunter Rivera and Casey Looker (save). (Plymouth) Joe Dragani (L, 1-2) and Myles Scott.

Hitting: (Goshen) Austin Henke triple, single, two RBI; Jorge Pizana double, single, RBI; Sylas Buller double, single, RBI; Warren Kay single, RBI; Travis Pickard single, RBI; Tyler Slagel two singles, Diego Garcia RBI. (Plymouth) Trent Briles double, two singles; Blake Milliser double, Joe Knapp two singles, RBI; Connor Flynn single, three RBI; Chase Peters single, RBI.

Records: Goshen (7-15, 3-8 NLC) at Concord Friday. Plymouth (9-11, 5-6 NLC) hosts Wawasee Friday.

JV score: Goshen won 11-1. (Goshen: Pitchers Jacob Marsee and Derek DeMeyer combined on a two-hitter and eight strikeouts, Charles Almy a double and two singles).