SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – Shepherd dropped game one and battled to a tie in the nightcap with East Stroudsburg in PSAC East baseball doubleheader action at Fairfax Field on Thursday. East Stroudsburg took a 12-6 win in game one while Shepherd rallied to earn an 8-8 in eight innings in the nightcap.
East Stroudsburg took a 1-0 lead in the nightcap on a solo blast by Brock Kauffman.
Shepherd took a 4-1 lead in the second with four runs. Senior infielder Joey Schwartz (Smithsburg, Md./Smithsburg/Western Kentucky), sophomore infielder Connor DeWees (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion), and senior third baseman Joey Goldsmith (Vienna, Va./James Madison/Pitt CC) all walked to load the bases. Sophomore shortstop Cole Daugherty (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion) hit a sacrifice fly to plate Schwartz. Graduate student outfielder Caleb Walls (State College, Pa./State College Area/Maryland) followed with a three-run blast.
East Stroudsburg took a 5-4 lead with four runs in the fifth. Ben Piripavel hit a two-run homer and Kauffman and Carson Freeman followed with solo homers.
Shepherd tied the game in the fourth when Goldsmith reached on a walk and later scored on a ground out by Walls.
The Warriors took an 8-5 lead in the fifth as Piripavel, Kauffman, and Tommy Dunleavy each drove in a run.
Shepherd cut the lead to 8-6 in the fifth as Schwartz was hit-by-pitch and later scored on a single off the bat of junior catcher Zach Doss (Waldorf, Md./North Point/Maryland).
The Rams forged the tie with two runs in the sixth. Daugherty and Walls reached on walks and moved to second and third on a wild pitch. Daugherty scored on a groundout by senior outfielder Jared Carr (Martinsburg, W.Va./St. James School). Stewart was hit-by-pitch and junior outfielder Brennan Holmes (Ona, W.Va./Cabell Midland) singled to plate Walls.
The game was called due to darkness after eight innings.
Kauffman went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs for the Warriors.
Daugherty went 3-for-4 to pace the Rams.
The Warriors used a six-run third inning to pull past the Rams in game one. Kauffman hit a three-run homer and Tommy Dunleavy added a solo blast to key the scoring.
Walls went 3-for-4 with three runs scored with a solo homer to lead the Rams. Senior first baseman Dalton Stewart (Sharpsburg, Md./Boonsboro/UMBC) added 2-for-3 effort with a two-run blast.
Kaufman went 3-for-4 with five RBI to lead a 12-hit attack for East Stroudsburg.
Mike Yates (4.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 4 K, 1 BB) (2-2) gained the win for East Stroudsburg. Senior pitcher Steve Bowley (Medford, N.J./Holy Cross Academy/Cumberland County) (3.2 IP, 7 H, 8 R, 6 ER, 5 K, 0 BB) (5-3) took the loss.
The two teams return to action on Friday for a 1 p.m. doubleheader at East Stroudsburg.
