SSU BB splits with WV Tech (11-9 W, 7-6 L)

BECKLEY, W. Va. -- The baseball program at Shawnee State posted 17 runs on 22 hits in a River States Conference doubleheader against West Virginia Tech -- taking Game 1 by an 11-9 final score but dropping the second contest by a scant 7-6 count in action that was held Saturday evening at Linda K. Epling Stadium in Beckley, W. Va. 

With the split, Shawnee State now sits at 18-12 overall and 8-7 in the River States Conference. The Bears remain in third place in the RSC Standings behind River States Conference leader Oakland City and second-place unit Indiana-Southeast, but Shawnee State's hold on third place has tightened as third through eighth place in the conference standings are separated by just three games total.

Game 1

Despite trailing by a 1-0 margin through two innings of play in the opener of Saturday's doubleheader, Shawnee State was able to gain control in the middle innings. Following a leadoff single by Tyler Lund and a wild pitch that allowed Lund to advance to second base, an RBI double to left by Diego Mendoza with two gone in the third inning allowed SSU to tie the score at one run apiece.

In the fourth inning, Shawnee State opened the contest up as the Bears plated five more runs on five hits. Back-to-back triples to lead off the frame by Jace Parnin and Zach Gaspar resulted in Gaspar driving in Parnin for one run, while Ryan Scott proceeded to nab an RBI base knock to bring in Gaspar and give Shawnee State a 3-1 advantage before an out had been recorded in the frame.

Then, following two singles by Lund and Eli Jones that resulted in Scott scoring, a wild pitch and a passed ball scored both Lund and Scott -- allowing the Bears to take a 6-1 lead through four innings of work.

Shawnee State nabbed five more runs in the fifth frame as a one-out single by Gaspar and a hit batter again put Lund in a position to come through as the senior launched an RBI double to right field to score Gaspar, while Nolan Tressler followed with an infield RBI single and Jones added an RBI groundout to plate three runs. Two hit batters, a bases loaded walk to Hunter Warner and an RBI single by Parnin allowed Shawnee State to increase its lead to 11-1 after five innings gone.

While Shawnee State starter Ricardo Medrano pitched well -- striking out three and throwing a five-hitter with one run allowed on 75 pitches in five innings of work -- West Virginia Tech was able to mount a late-game rally as WV Tech scored eight unanswered on SSU relief pitching in the seventh, eighth and ninth frames of work, drawing to within 11-9 in the bottom of the ninth on a two-out, two-RBI double to bring the potential winning run up to the plate.

However, Shawnee State reliever Ethan Campbell recovered nicely -- as Campbell, in the second batter that the junior faced on the day, induced a flyout to conclude matters.

Hitting-wise, Lund (3-for-5, double, RBI, three runs scored), Parnin (3-for-5, triple, RBI, run scored), Gaspar (2-for-5, triple, RBI, two runs scored) and Jones (2-for-4, walk, two RBI, run scored) all reached the multi-hit column, while Scott (1-for-4, RBI, two runs scored), Warner (1-for-4, double, walk, RBI), Mendoza (1-for-5, double, RBI, run scored) and Tressler (1-for-6, RBI, run scored) also nabbed hits in the contest.

Game 2

After giving up a three-spot in the opening inning, Shawnee State rallied back with three runs in the second frame to tie the score at three apiece -- with singles by Mason Reid and Jace Parnin and a walk by Hunter Warner leading to a critical two-RBI base knock from Wyatt Haupt that pulled the Bears to within 3-2 of West Virginia Tech. Tyler Lund then beat out a potential double play to bring in the game-tying run to knot the score at three-all after two innings complete.

West Virginia Tech again plated three runs in the third frame of action, but Shawnee State came back with two in the fourth as a walk by Gaspar and a single by Lund was followed by an error and a RBI groundout by Eli Jones -- bringing SSU back to within 6-5. However, West Virginia Tech was able to plate an insurance run in the bottom half of the fourth, and despite a solo home run from Warner in the fifth that cut the lead back down to one at 7-6, Shawnee State got no closer in the one-run setback.

For the contest, Reid (2-for-4, run scored) led SSU offensively while Warner (1-for-1, two walks, home run, RBI, two runs scored), Haupt (1-for-1, two RBI), Lund (1-for-3, RBI, run scored), Parnin (1-for-3, run scored), Jones (1-for-4, RBI) and Diego Mendoza (1-for-4) all posted a hit in Game 2.

Additional

Shawnee State (18-12, 8-7 River States Conference) will briefly depart RSC action for a nonconference affair against Bluefield (Va.) Tuesday afternoon at Branch Rickey Park. Game time is set for 3 p.m.