Red Raider Baseball Extends Win Streak to Six, Scores 29 Runs in Sweep of Post
Mar. 8, 2008
FT. PIERCE, Fla. - The Shippensburg University baseball team continued its recent offensive explosion and extended its win streak to six after scoring 29 runs in a doubleheader sweep of Post University Saturday at the Lawnwood Complex, 18-4 and 11-10.
Senior Justin Garber (Elizabethtown/Elizabethtown) also continued his offensive outburst, totaling eight hits and six RBIs which included three triples and two doubles. He has now had at least one hit in all 14 games this season while extending his hitting streak to 16 games.
Garber has started all 14 games this season and is hitting an amazing .532 after having already totaled 33 hits, including 12 multi-hit games. He leads the team in all offensive categories with three doubles, three triples, four home runs and 19 RBIs.
In game one, the Red Raiders (7-7) jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first inning after sending 12 batters to the plate and scoring eight runs on nine hits. Garber had two hits in the inning, leading off with a single before later hitting a double to left center that scored two runs. He finished the game 4-for-6 with four RBIs.
Also in the inning, freshman Kevin Miller (Kenvil, N.J./Roxbury) hit a two-run homer to right while sophomore Rick Shumway (Shippensburg/Shippensburg) had a two-run double down the left field line.
During its six-game winning streak, Shippensburg is averaging 3.3 runs during the first inning, including 5.0 over its last four games.
On the season, the Red Raiders are averaging eight runs per game which includes 83 runs over their last six games.
Shippensburg totaled 22 hits in the first game as eight of the team's nine position players had at least two hits. Meanwhile, all nine players had at least one RBI, including senior Eric Dezell (Bel Air, Md./John Carroll) who drew a bases loaded walk as part of a four-run seventh.
Miller finished the game 3-for-4 with three RBIs while junior Kasey Kuhns (Three Springs/Southern Huntingdon) was 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Juniors Kyle Rhoades (Brodheadsville/Pleasant Valley) and Tyler Redick (Fairfield/Walkersville (Md.)) also had three hits each with Rhoades adding two RBIs and two runs and Redick totaling three runs and an RBI-single in the first.
On the mound, junior Thomas Ashman (Mohrsville/Schuylkill Valley) earned his first career victory after allowing just seven hits and two earned runs over five innings while striking five.
In game two, Shippensburg battled back from a six-run deficit to win the game in extra innings, 11-10. Trailing 8-2 after two innings, the Red Raiders scored five runs in the fourth and one in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at 8-8, forcing extra innings.
After surrendering two runs in the top of the ninth, Kuhns had a walk-off, two-run single that scored Miller and sophomore Kevin Scholly (State College/State College) to extend Shippensburg's win streak to six and keep the team unbeaten in four games in Florida.
With Scholly on third with one out, Miller stole second to get into scoring position for Kuhns' game-winning RBIs. For Kuhns, it was his only hit in three at-bats after he entered the game as a pinch hitter in the fifth before playing the final four innings in left in replace of junior Tim Freshour (Johnstown/Richland).
Facing their last at-bat in the bottom of the seventh needing a run to force extra innings, Redick led off the inning with a single up the middle before advancing into scoring position on a passed ball. With one out, Shumway scored Redick with an RBI-single to right, tying the game at 8-8.
The Red Raiders were able to stage their comeback thanks to timely offense, but more importantly, key pitching from junior Jason Kelly (Harrisburg/Central Dauphin). After Shippensburg surrendered eight runs on eight hits over the first four innings, Kelly allowed just two runs on only two hits over the final five, both of which came in the ninth, while striking out four.
The win was the first of Kelly's career after her went 0-2 in 22 appearances entering this season. So far this year, he is 1-2 in five appearances. All 27 of Kelly's career appearances have been in relief.
Shippensburg returns to action on Monday with a key regional doubleheader against Pittsburgh-Johnstown at Lawnwood Complex beginning at 3:00 p.m. The Mountain Cats are currently ranked ninth in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) North Atlantic Region poll while the Red Raiders are fifth.
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