SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – Shepherd (22-13-1, 18-12-1 PSAC East) pounded out 26 hits and added seven home runs on the day en route to a sweep of Mansfield (12-24, 11-21 PSAC East) in PSAC East baseball doubleheader action at Fairfax Field on Sunday. Shepherd earned a 10-1 win in game one and added a 21-4 victory in the nightcap.
Shepherd took a 1-0 lead in the first inning as graduate student outfielder Caleb Walls (State College, Pa./State College Area/Maryland) singled and later scored on a sacrifice fly by senior outfielder Jared Carr (Martinsburg, W.Va./St. James School).
Shepherd added two runs in the third to take a 3-0 lead. Walls and Carr hit back-to-back doubles. Carr later scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of senior second baseman Joey Schwartz (Smithsburg, Md./Smithsburg/Western Kentucky).
The Rams took a 6-0 lead with three more runs in the fourth on a two-run homer by junior outfielder Brennan Holmes (Ona, W.Va./Cabell Midland) and a solo blast by senior third baseman Joey Goldsmith (Vienna, Va./James Madison/Pitt CC).
Carr belted a solo blast in the fifth to up the lead to 7-0.
Assaf Lowengart hit a solo homer in the sixth for the Mounties.
Shepherd added three runs in the seventh on a two-run double by senior outfielder Colton Henson (Spring Mills, W.Va./Spring Mills/Alderson Broaddus) and a sacrifice fly from junior catcher Andrew Edwards (Alexandria, Va./West Potomac).
Walls went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, while Carr was 2-for-3 with three RBI and a pair of runs scored to lead the Rams.
Senior pitcher Mitchell Wilson (Hagerstown, Md./St. James School/UMBC) (4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 5 K, 2 BB) (2-2) earned the win for the Rams. Luke Payne (4.0 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 5 K, 1 BB) (1-1) took the loss for Mansfield.
Walls (3-for-6, 2 RBI, 2 runs), Carr (3-for-5, 3 RBI, 3 runs), and Schwartz (3-for-3, 3 RBI, 4 runs) combined for nine hits, eight runs batted in, and nine runs scored to pace a 17-hit attack for the Rams in the nightcap. Carr , Schwartz, Goldsmith, and graduate student outfielder Trustin Riley (Harrisburg, Pa./Mercersburg Academy/Tampa) all belted home runs, with Riley smacking a grand slam for his first round-tripper of the season.
Junior catcher Zach Doss (Waldorf, Md./North Point/Maryland) and Goldsmith each added a pair of hits.
Ben Osborne went 2-for-3 to lead Mansfield.
Senior reliever Adam Miller (Stephens City, Va./Sherando) (2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 Ks, 0 BB) (4-2) earned the win. Ryan King (4.0 IP, 11 H, 8 R, 6 ER, 6 K, 1 BB) (0-4) took the loss for Mansfield.
The Rams return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Millersville for a noon contest in the single elimination round of the PSAC Tournament. The semifinal and championship rounds are both a best-of-three series.
