The Goshen College Men’s baseball team went 2-5 during this year’s annual spring break road trip to Florida. The Maple Leafs played a total of three different teams over the weeklong tour, the first being the Clearwater Christian College Cougars, whom they defeated in a double-header.

Although they had trouble getting onto the scoreboard in the first game of that series, Goshen was able to keep the contest close, helped by some great pitching from Senior Aaron Coy. After the first five innings, Coy had six strike outs, and the score was tied 0-0. The Maple Leafs scored two runs to break the deadlock in the top of the sixth; they then added three more runs during the top of the seventh. In the bottom of the seventh, the Cougars mounted an attack of their own and scored four times. But it was all for not as Goshen held on to win their first game of the season.

The second game against Clearwater also resulted in a Maple Leafs victory. Sophomore Shane Davis pitched the entire game; striking out eleven batters and allowing no runs. A total of seven different players recorded a hit for Goshen in the 6-0 win.

Goshen was at it again the very next day when they visited Webber International University. The Maple Leafs jumped to a 1-0 lead after the top of the second. They then doubled that after the top of the third. From that point on, it was all Webber International. The bottom of the third produced six runs for the hosts. The Warriors also scored six runs during the seventh inning. The final tally ended at 14-4, in favor of Webber.

The Maple Leafs ended their trip with a four-game series against Trinity International University. The series occurred on Friday and Saturday, and was played at two different venues. Although they played well in each game, Goshen was unable to muster a win in any of the four contests; the closest score being a 3-5 loss in the second encounter.

“The trip was fun, but the outcomes were disappointing,” said Michael Zehr, a first-year outfielder. “Overall we had good games, especially at the start, but we couldn’t put together a big inning. That’s something that our opponents were able to do.”

The next game for the Maple Leafs will be against Johnson Bible College and is scheduled for March 6 in Knoxville, Tenn. Goshen has its first home game of the season on March 14 against Ohio Northern University.