WINCHESTER, Ky. - The Goshen baseball season got underway with two games against Shawnee State at George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester, Kentucky. Shawnee State, designated as the home team for both seven-inning games, won 6-0 and 10-2.

Game One
Starting pitcher Eric Pettipiece made his first appearance with the Maple Leafs since April 22, 2023 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Axell Espino Montero, a transfer from Minnesota West Community and Technical College, hit a triple to center field in his first at-bat as a Maple Leaf in the first inning. The Leafs couldn't capitalize, and a pop up and a strikeout ended the top of the first. Shawnee State left the bases loaded in the first but scored on an RBI single in the second. A solo shot increased their lead to 2-0 after the third and they had three runs on three hits in the fourth. Pettipiece completed 3.2 innings, allowing five earned runs and seven hits. He had four strikeouts and four walks. 

Goshen left a runner at second base in the fifth and a runner at third in the sixth. The Leafs finished with three hits while the Bears had nine, getting singles from Troy Griffin and Justin Dambruck. In relief, Josh Murphy allowed one earned run in 1.1 innings. Aaron Matthews needed just four pitches to get through the bottom of the sixth, allowing no runs and one hit.

Game Two
The Maple Leafs got on the board first in game two. Troy Griffin was at the top of the lineup and was hit by a pitch in the first at-bat. Espino Montero got on base from a fielder's choice and then stole second. He moved to third on a passed ball and then Fernando Marte Santana, batting in the three-spot, hit a single to left that scored Espino Montero. Marte Santana is also a transfer from Minnesota West Community and Technical College.

Logan Wilson got the start for the Leafs and allowed a pair of runs in the first, which gave Shawnee State the lead. The Bears failed to score in the second inning, but they put up at least one run in each of the next four. Wilson allowed three earned runs and three hits in three innings with three strikeouts. He walked two batters. Lance Wilson came in in the fifth inning, and allowed no hits or runs in his inning of work, needing only eight pitches.

The Leafs had five errors in the game, which resulted in three unearned runs. Goshen's second run came at the top of the seventh. The Leafs got back-to-back singles from Joshua Rubio and Curtis Huffman. Chris Godden later reached base on an error and Rubio scored on the play. Goshen had five singles in the game - from Marte Santana, Rubio, Huffman, Dambruck and Trent Sillett.

Goshen is at Toccoa Falls College next weekend in Georgia for three games. On Saturday, they start a doubleheader at noon and play one nine-inning game on Sunday.