By Seth Wesman
Sports Information Intern

PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. — The day's first 13 innings proved a struggle, but the last two were another story as the Goshen College baseball team splitting an afternoon doubleheader with Trinity Christian College on Wednesday. The Maple Leafs lost the day's first game 5-0 but rebounded with a 7-4 win in eight innings in the nightcap.

The first game saw Trinity strike fast with a run in the bottom of the first and again in the third. The game would remain 2-0 until the Trolls tacked on a trio of insurance runs in the bottom of the first to secure a 5-0 victory.

Brad Lantz got the start on the mound for Goshen (1-5) and went four innings, striking out 3 before giving way to Travis Grimm, Kyle Kotecki and Seth Lapp in relief. The Leafs were held to only 3 hits in the contest with Preston Carr, Colby Malson and Ryan Hartig collecting one apiece.

Richard Yelnick went the distance for the Trolls, allowing only 3 hits while striking out 9 in the shutout. Zack Jones led Trinity (6-4) with a pair of RBIs on a 2 for 3 performance at the plate as Dan Budde collected the Trolls' other RBI. Tyler Sroczynski totaled a game-high 2 runs scored.

The afternoon's second contest started much the same way that the first did; Trinity scored a run in the first and tacked on more throughout the contest. With a run apiece in the third, fourth and fifth innings, the Trolls took a 4-0 lead into the top of the seventh; three outs away from sweeping the day's doubleheader.

Goshen loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh, getting two hits and a walk to start the inning. The next man to bat struck out, but three walks and a single later the game was tied at 4. Carr, Brad Stoltzfus and Clinton Stroble II each took a bases-loaded walk and Vincent Caschera singled home a run in the inning before a pair of popouts — each with the bases still loaded — ended the inning.

Triplett set the Trolls down in order, sending the scheduled seven-inning affair to extra innings.

The eighth began much like the seventh with three straight Maple Leafs reaching base, although two of those involved the game's first two errors. Carr collected a painful RBI when he was hit by a pitch, pushing home the eventual winning run. Stoltzfus followed with a two-run knock to left, pushing the Leafs' lead to 7-4. Blake Collins took the mound and closed the door in the bottom of the eighth, retiring three of the four men he faced to give Goshen its first win of the season.

Malson was Goshen's starting pitcher in the second game: he lasted two innings before giving way to Colton Daniel, Michael Walker, Triplett and Collins. All five pitchers lasted between one and two innings with at least one strikeout: Triplett had a team-high 3.

The Leafs recorded 8 strikeouts as a team, holding the Trolls to 5 hits total and hitless across the final three innings. Stoltzfus collected a team-high 3 RBIs with Carr adding a pair, and Caschera and Stroble each adding 1. Ben Longacre and ]Rook each crossed home plate twice..

Trinity's Stefano Belmonte took the loss for the Trolls while giving up 3 runs total, although just one was earned. Jones homered twice in the loss and led Trinity with 2 RBIs.

The Maple Leafs will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to Waleska, Georgia, to take on Reinhardt University in a single nine-inning game at C. Ken White Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.