MADISONVILLE, Tenn. — They say he who laughs last laugh best.

The Goshen College baseball team saw both sides of that coin on Thursday, watching its first-inning lead evaporate in the first game of a doubleheader before making Hiwassee College's advantage disappear in game two. The Maple Leafs lost the opener 11-3 but earned a split with a 4-1 win.

The Maple Leafs (3-5) acquired their 3-0 first-inning edge without the benefit of a hit: Colby Malson and Mitchell Wilson each reached on errors and the team got help from two walks, a wild pitch and a Kody McGuire sacrifice fly.

Garrett Dalton gave the Tigers (7-2) a tie game with his bases-clearing double in the bottom of the second, the first hit of the game for either team. Hiwassee scored in every subsequent half-inning.

Goshen got its first hit in the top of the fifth, trailing 7-3. Ben Longacre led off the inning with a single before a walk to Clinton Stroble and a hit by Wilson loaded the bases, but a baserunning out and a fly ball to left field prevented the tying run from reaching any farther than the plate.

Stroble reached base three times for GC, walking twice and getting hit by a pitch.  Dalton, Collin Wheeler and Jaylon Strayhorn each had two hits for Hiwassee: Strayhorn scored three times and Dalton drove in 6 runs on 2 doubles.

Wheeler and Tyler Hisey combined to put Hiwassee up 1-0 after four batters in the bottom of the first in game two, but the RBI double marked the final run the hosts would score. Brighton Schofield scored the tying run after a leadoff double in the second, coming across the plate on a Malson sacrifice fly. Evan Creager added another sacrifice fly to make it 2-1 after three frames.

Goshen got its insurance runs in the fifth as Bobby Garcia singled to drive in Schofield before Bailey Owens came home on a throwing error.

Kyle Kotecki took the win for the Maple Leafs, working into the seventh inning and allowing four hits while striking out three. Colton Daniel got three outs from two hitters for his second save.

The Maple Leafs got two hits each from Schofield, Stroble and Anthony Todaro, and Schofield scored a pair of runs to go with the game's lone double. Owens led all players with 3 walks.

GC and Hiwassee close out their series with a single game at 2 p.m. Wednesday.