Coming off an impressive 7-4 victory over the visiting Tigers of Campbellsville (16-4, 4-2) on Friday afternoon, the Shawnee State Bears (10-15, 1-5) could not come up with timely hits when needed and fell twice in a double-header Mid-South Conference showdown on Saturday.
The first game featured a true pitchers battle between Shawnee State's Alex Taku (Santa Cruz, CA) and Campbellsville Jacob Cook. Taku (3-3) took the loss after pitching an impressive 8 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on eight hits while striking out five with no walks.
Cook for the Tigers pitched the distance going all nine innings allowing no runs on seven hits while striking out four batters. The Bears could not get the needed hits as they left a total of nine batters on base and left four batters on base in scoring position in the first two innings.
In the bottom of the first, Shawnee State threatened with bases loaded. However, a sharp ground ball from Adam Wamsley (Wheelersburg, OH) was eaten up by the shortstop and turned it into a 6-4-3 double play ending the inning.
The Bears again threatened to score the ballgames first run in the bottom of the second as Adam Morrison (Spring, TX) reached on an error and advanced to third after a single from Ryan Burnett (Bellevue, WA) as Matt Jones (Greenup, KY) went to second after he walked. The inning ended with another 6-4-3 double play hit by Quentin Everman (Galloway, OH) ending another Bear threat.
Campbellsville turned the momentum and scored one run on two hits in the top of third inning. The inning gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead and never gave the lead away.
Shawnee State threatened again in the bottom of the fourth as Jones doubled with two out in the inning. Burnett however flied out to the center fielder ending the inning.
Two innings later the Bears Morrison singled and stole a base to give Shawnee State yet another chance to tie the game at 1-1. A strikeout from Cody Spires (Lancaster, OH) and a fly out to left field by Jones again killed any chances of tying the game and left the Bears staring at a 1-0 deficit.
Campbellsville added one run in the ninth to secure a 2-0 defeat in the first game of the double-header.
The Tigers carried the momentum of the first game and scored on the top of the first. Carter Bledsoe (Tulsa, OK) pitched 4.0 innings giving up three runs but only one was earned. Bledsoe (1-5) allowed five hits and one walk.
Campbellsville scored twice in the top of the fourth as they accounted for two hits and scored from a throwing error from Bledsoe. Bledsoe fielded a bunt cleanly, however, with a runner on first he over threw the first baseman all the way to right field allowing the runner to score from first base. The next batter singled up the middle scoring the runner who reached on the error giving the Tigers a 3-0 lead.
Jordan Williams (Uniontown, OH) came into the ballgame in the fifth inning making his second appearance of the day. He pitched 3.0 innings giving up one run on two hits while striking out four batters.
Campbellsville added another run in the top of the sixth giving them a 4-0 lead heading into the seventh inning. Shawnee State tried to make things interesting in the seventh as Danny Gesick (Pickerington, OH) hit a one out homerun over the right field wall cutting the lead to 4-1. Three batters later, Morrison hit a solo homerun cutting the lead in half at 4-2 with two outs. The game ended as Spires flew out to center field.
(RV) Shawnee State will return to action at Branch Rickey Park on Wednesday, Mar. 14 as Notre Dame College will come to town to take on the Bears. Start time is at 1:00 p.m. as Shawnee State will look to snap a two game losing skid.
