GRANGER, Ind. — Hermes Flores cruised through his match at no. 5 singles without dropping a game for Goshen College, but Bethel University's women posted four 6-0 sets of their own as the Maple Leafs and Pilots traded 7-0 shutouts in Crossroads League tennis action Wednesday at Knollwood Country Club.
Evan Beck won his season debut at no. 6 singles for the Goshen men (3-1, 2-1), who conceded five games or fewer in every singles match after taking the doubles point with a sweep. Filippo Bigardi and Martim Cafe pulled out a 7-4 tiebreaker at the no. 1 doubles position while Flores and Juan Miguel Ciudad recorded the biggest doubles victory at 6-2.
Every singles player won at least one set by a margin of 6-0 or 6-1: Bigardi and Cafe each dropped two games at nos. 1 and 3, while Ciudad and Josh Friesen each had one 6-1 set and one 6-2 margin.
Brandon Eash's 6-4 first-set loss at no. 6 was the best showing for the Pilot men (1-3, 0-3).
Kyra Krall paced Goshen's women with seven games won at no. 6 singles in addition to teaming with Elsie Koop Liechty for a 7-5 loss at the final doubles position. Sarah Hinshaw and Victoria Oakes each won 3 games in singles play, with Hinshaw joining Krall by taking at least one game in each set. Hannah McCoy and Anna Osborne each played a 6-2 stanza.
Bethel (2-2, 1-2) used the same six players in both singles and doubles, creating a sextet of double winners. Taylor Freedline won her two matches by an aggregate score of 20-4 to lead all Pilots.
Goshen is back in action Thursday for its second of four matches in as many days. The Maple Leafs welcome a nationally-ranked foe, the University of Northwestern Ohio, to the Goshen College Tennis Complex for a 4:30 p.m. first serve.