GOSHEN, Ind. — Any baseball fan can tell you that the only proper way for the season to end is under the lights in October. The Goshen College men's tennis team plays a different sport and schedules most of its matches to finish before sunset, but the Maple Leafs got to experience that feeling nevertheless Monday night in a 5-1 win over Lawrence Tech.
The Leafs jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the doubles portion, with Balazs Pirot and Jon Kaasa taking the final four games in succession and Luis Perez and Vasanth Palanisamy coming from behind late in an 8-6 win.
"Taking all three doubles matches was a really nice way to start things and remove some pressure and anxiety going into singles," said Maple Leaf head coach Stan King. "Uncertainties and extended delays due to rain were stressful to most of our players. I was pleased, however, that the guys were able to put those distractions aside."
Owing to late-afternoon thunderstorms in the Goshen area, the match began an hour and 45 minutes after its scheduled 4:00 commencement. The sun set at 7:15, so most of the singles portion was played under artificial light and the coaches agreed to end the remaining matches when the team match was decided.
Michael Oyer gave the Leafs their fourth team point, dispatching his opponent in the minimum number of games in a 6-0, 6-0 win. Lawrence Tech picked up its only team point when Aritha Weerasinghe retired because of a nagging injury at no. 3 singles. But Balazs Pirot won 6-3, 6-1 at no. 1 singles to give the Leafs the team match and stop the other matches.
At the moment the match ended, Goshen led in two of the three unfinished contests.
"It was nice to end our season with a win," said King. "Overall, I would say the team did very well to have a winning record. Our schedule was probably the most difficult we've had for a long time. I'm really proud of the effort, hard work, and way our guys hung together and supported each other as a team this season. The team just never gave up on itself."
The Maple Leafs finish the fall season with an 8-7 mark including a 5-3 record in Crossroads League play and lose just one senior, Taylor Ermoian, to graduation.
Full results: Goshen 5, Lawrence Tech 1
Singles:
1. Balazs Pirot (G) def. Vincent Colarossi 6-3, 6-1
2. Sergio Lopez (L) led Jon Kaasa 6-1, 3-3
3. Vasanth Palanisamy (G) led Javier Alvarez 6-2, 5-3
4. Mason Wenzel (L) def. Aritha Weerasinghe 6-4, 4-1, retired
5. Michael Oyer (G) def. Chad Northey 6-0, 6-0
6. Taylor Ermoian (G) led Jacob Lackowicz 6-4, 4-3
Doubles:
1. Pirot/Kaasa (G) def. Colarossi/Wenzel 8-3
2. Perez/Palanisamy (G) def. Lopez/Alvarez 8-6
3. Oyer/Ermoian (G) def. Northey/Lackowicz 8-6
Extra match: Siddath Ratnatunga (G) def. Trevor Garland 8-4
