Shepherd slugs its way to three wins over Urbana
SHEPHERDSTOWN – Shepherd took its division-leading 10-2 conference record to Urbana (Ohio) last weekend for doubleheaders on both Saturday and Sunday.
After trailing, 6-0, in the first game played on Saturday, the Rams rallied to overtake Urbana’s early lead and even tied the score at 7-7 in the top of the seventh. But then the Blue Knights scored again in the last of the seventh to get an 8-7 win that snapped Shepherd’s five-game win streak and smear the beginning of the four-game weekend.
Mitchell Wilson lasted only two innings for the Rams, allowing six runs (four earned) and eight hits and leaving with Shepherd trailing, 6-0.
With Christian Hamel getting a home run and two hits, Justin Smith going 2-for-3 (two RBIs) and Jared Carr adding two singles, the Rams finally tied it at 7-7 before the Blue Knights scored off losing pitcher Adam Miller to get the win. Miller went 4.1 innings and allowed only two earned runs.
In Game Two on Saturday, it was the Rams with an early lead that once had Shepherd with a 9-1 edge after only three innings.
Outfielder Brenton Doyle hit for the cycle (single, double, triple and home run) as the Rams completed a 12-2 win that gave them a split of the two games.
Doyle scored three times and had three RBIs. Eddie Nottingham went 3-for-4 with a double, Trenton Burgreen was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBIs, and Gio Torres contributed two singles. Smith scored two runs.
Ryan Potts improved his record to 4-2 with five innings of four-hit pitching that included eight strikeouts and only one earned run. Wes Martin closed the victory with two hitless, scoreless innings.
On Sunday, the Rams blasted Urbana in Game One, winning easily, 12-4, behind a 14-hit offense and the complete game pitching of Steve Bowley (6-1 record).
Nottingham was 3-for-3 with four RBIs and three runs scored. Two of Nottingham’s hits were his first home runs of the season.
Carr went 3-for-5. Doyle was 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. Justin Smith scored three times.
Christian Hamel drove in two runs and Burgreen was 2-for-3.
Bowley fanned seven, allowed seven hits and did not walk a batter.
In Sunday’s Game Two, the Rams routed the Blue Knights again, winning, 16-3, behind a 20-hit offense.
Shepherd’s imposing lead was 12-2 after only three innings. Nottingham, who raised his batting average to .398 with his commanding weekend, was 4-for-5 with five runs scored and two RBIs. He had a triple and double. Carr went 3-for-3 and scored three times, Doyle was 2-for-3 with a home run and double as well as drawing two walks, Smith drove in five runs, scored three times and was 3-for-5, Nick Atkinson had two hits and three RBIs, Brian McCourt had two hits and two RBIs. Hamel had a double and scored twice.
Pitcher Ryan Marketell won his first game of the season with five innings of work that saw him allow six hits, three earned runs, fan five, walk two, hit two batters and uncork two wild pitches.
Shepherd was 22-10 overall and 13-3 in the MEC; the Rams hold a five-game lead in the North Division over second-place Notre Dame, now 8-8 in league games.