Shawnee State (27-10, 10-8) took the first two games of a four-game weekend series against the visiting Golden Bears of West Virginia Tech (18-25) in the non-conference match-up.
In the first game Shawnee State used a six hit, seven run fifth inning to overcome a 3-0 deficit to take the first game 7-3.
The Bears trailed the entire game and was held hitless until the bottom of the fourth inning. The Bears did all their damage in the bottom of the fifth as 13 batters batted in the inning after going three and out for the first four innings of play.
Shawnee State starting pitcher Austin Dunfee (Pomeroy, OH) allowed a solo homerun in the first and two more runs in the top of the fourth to allowing the Golden Bears to jump out to an early 3-0 lead.
However, Dunfee (9-4) settled down and pitched shutout baseball for the remaining game as he picked up his ninth win of the season. Dunfee pitched 7.0 innings allowing three earned runs on nine hits while striking out eight batters.
Adam Wamsley (Wheelersburg, OH) led the way for the Bears as he went 2-for-3 with a run scored and two RBI's. Quentin Everman (Galloway, OH) had a bunt down the line for a hit and an RBI as he went 1-for-4 with a run scored. Cody Morrison (Spring, TX), Colin Keim (Clinton, OH), Ryan Burnett (Bellevue, WA) and Cody Spires (Lancaster, OH) all added a hit and an RBI for Shawnee State.
With revenge on their mind, West Virginia Tech jumped on the Bears in the first inning of the second game.
The Golden Bears started the game with back-to-back singles and a walk to load the bases with no outs. After Shawnee State's starting pitcher Alex Taku (Santa Cruz, CA) got a much needed strikeout West Virginia Tech was able to get on the board with a sacrifice fly.
The Bears quickly answered the bell as Everman started Shawnee State off with a single in the bottom half of the first. Two batters later Danny Gesick (Pickerington, OH) tripled off the right field wall, scoring Everman from first base to tie the game at 1-1.
Keim then followed Gesick with a sacrifice fly ball to center field, allowing Gesick to score from third giving Shawnee State a 2-1 lead.
After exchanging scoreless innings in the second, West Virginia Tech took the lead back in the top of the third. The Golden Bears scored two runs on three hits in the inning to give themselves a 3-2 lead.
Shawnee State seemed to have an answer for everything that was thrown at them on the day as the Bears answered the call again.
Everman, Gesick and Keim seemed like they wanted to replay the first inning as Shawnee State scored two runs on three hits duplicating the first inning. Everman started the bottom of the third with a single and Gesick again triple off the wall scoring Everman.
With Gesick standing on third, Keim hit another sacrifice fly ball to center field to regain the lead 4-3.
With a one run lead, the Bears led off the inning with three straight hits from Aaron Suydam (Painesville, OH), Burnett and Spires. The inning continued as Morrison doubled to left field and Keim singling up the middle.
Shawnee State exploded for five runs on five hits in the fifth inning pushing their lead to 9-3.
The Golden Bears fought back in the top of the sixth inning. Trailing 9-3, West Virginia Tech scored five runs with a chance to tie the game.
Down 9-7, Kevin Bocock (WVT) singled up the middle with a runner on second and third as Burnett picked up and fired home as the tying run was 45 feet from home plate.
The ball one hopped and landed in Keim's glove with an incredible throw to home from Burnett as it kept Shawnee State lead and ended the inning.
The play broke a huge momentum shift that the Golden Bears gained and seemingly killed the energy for West Virginia Tech.
Shawnee State answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Burnett led off with a double and scored on an RBI single by Morrison. The Bears posted two more runs on a double by Colin Keim extending their lead and the eventual 12-8 win.
Reliever Jordan Williams (Uniontown) held the Golden Bears scoreless in the final two innings to pick up his third save of the season. In 2.2 innings he allowed only one hit, while striking out three batters.
Taku (7-3) got the win pitching the first 4.1 innings allowing eight runs (six earned) on nine hits. He allowed two walks against four strikeouts.
Brad Boles was tagged with the loss for West Virginia Tech. In 3.0 innings he allowed five runs on six hits with one walk.
Burnett finished the game 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while Gesick and Keim went 2-for-2 at the plate. Everman and Morrison also had two hits for the Bears.
Shawnee State and West Virginia Tech will finish the four-game series on Saturday beginning at noon at Branch Rickey Park.
