SSU BB rebounds to split Sunday's affairs by winning series with 8-4 win over Brescia in Game 3; wins conference series

OWENSBORO, Ky. -- Under second-year head coach Rob Ehlers, the baseball program at Shawnee State has always maintained a next-game approach and mentality.

That, as a result, has allowed the Bears to keep matters on a game-by-game basis.

That attitude was critical Sunday evening -- as Shawnee State overcame a 10-0 defeat in the second of a three-game series against Brescia to defeat the Bearcats, 8-4, in a road contest that was held at Chautauqua Park in Owensboro, Ky.

Sunday's victory in Game 3 sealed the Bears' eighth win in nine games -- with Shawnee State coming back from an early deficit for the second time in the series and the third time in the last four games to collect the win.

Game Summary -- Shawnee State 8, Brescia (Ky.) 4

Shawnee State (11-5, 2-1 River States Conference), who got the opening run of the third and final game of the series Sunday after Nolan Tressler's RBI double brought in courtesy runner Zach Gaspar in the second inning, fell behind in the third frame as Brescia (7-3, 1-2 River States Conference) battled back with four runs on three singles, an RBI groundout and a sacrifice fly RBI.

However, the Bears didn't fold up camp.

In the fourth frame of action, Shawnee State responded to Brescia's four-run third with a five-run fourth -- as after a one-out single toward right field by Tyler Lund, Tressler followed with a huge two-run homer that immediately brought the Bears within a 4-3 count.

Following Tressler's big fly, Jace Parnin drew a walk and advanced to second base on a wild pitch, and after another walk by Mason Reid, Wyatt Haupt's bat came through in the clutch again as the freshman drove in both Parnin and Reid with a two-RBI double to left field that gave Shawnee State a 5-4 advantage. Eli Jones then added a two-out rope to left field, and on Jones' attempt to steal second base, a throwing error allowed Haupt to score, giving the Bears a 6-4 lead after the fourth inning of work.

Coming into the contest over the final four-and-a-third innings of work, Shawnee State sophomore Carson Wireman was nails once again, allowing just one hit in relief while striking out four Brescia batters. This effort by the Greenup, Ky. native on the mound allowed the Bears to not only maintain their lead, but expand on it as SSU added two critical insurance runs in the seventh and final frame to close the books on the series -- as Ryan Scott's double was followed by a two-run homer to left by Diego Mendoza to conclude matters.

For the contest, Tressler (2-for-3, home run, double, three RBI, run scored), Reid (2-for-4, double, walk, run scored), Lund (2-for-4, run scored) and Jones (2-for-4) led the multi-hit brigade while Haupt (1-for-3, double, walk, two RBI, run scored), Mendoza (1-for-3, home run, two RBI, run scored), Scott (1-for-4, double, run scored), Gaspar (1-for-2, double, run scored) and Parnin (1-for-4, walk, run scored) all reached the hit column in the series-clinching victory.

Additional

Shawnee State steps out of conference play for a single nine-inning contest Tuesday afternoon against Bluefield (Va.). The contest, which has a first pitch time of 1 p.m., will be held at Bluefield's Bowen Field -- with the Bears hosting the Rams on Tuesday, April 1 at 3 p.m. at Branch Rickey Park.