XENIA, Ohio (Baseball) – Following a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Urbana University on Wednesday afternoon in a seven-inning pitchers duel, the Shawnee State baseball team busted out for 14 run, as Mauro Olivarria (JR/San Diego, Calif.) hit a grand slam then knocked in three more with a double an inning later to lead the Bears to a 14-8 victory over the Blue Knights to split a twinbill at Grady's Field at the Athletes In Action Sports Complex.
The Bears were limited to just five hits in game one and left five runners aboard, as Urbana starter Jackson Everman went 5.2 innings, allowing four knocks while walking one and fanning five. Dylan Sheffer closed out the contest for the Blue Knights to earn the save.
Urbana scored its lone run in the fifth inning when leadoff hitter Matt Paculan ripped a triple into the right-center field gap. D.J. Collins followed with a perfectly-executed suicide squeeze to bring home the only run of the contest.
SSU's best chance came in the fifth frame when Dalton Tinsley (SR/Kokomo, Ind.) singled, and then stole second. He moved to third on a groundout, but Everman struck out the final batter of the inning to maintain the shutout.
The Bears got another opportunity in the sixth, after Blake Maines (SO/Burlington, Ky.) ripped a one-out single. Connor Wilson added a single down the right field line one out later to chase Everman from the contest, but Sheffer came in an induced a groundout on a very close play at first. Sheffer shut the door with limited noise in the final inning.
It took no time for the Shawnee State offense to get things going in game two, as the Bears plated three in the top of the first. With two outs and the bases loaded, Drew Haislop (SO/Oak Hill, Ohio) doubled down the line to plate a pair. The throw home kicked away and Olivarria scampered home on the play, as well.
After Urbana tacked on two runs of its own in the bottom of the first, SSU busted the game open with a seven-run second. Matt Dvorscak (FR/Whiting, Ind.) kicked things off with a one-out double, then – following out number two – Connor Wilson was hit by a pitch. Blake Maines followed with an infield single which allowed Dvorscak to score on the throw. Jacob Waters (JR/DeWitt, Mich.) followed with a single to load the bases with two away.
Olivarria answered the bell in a big way with a towering shot over a short porch in right field. Drew Haislop followed with a single, and Alex Shears (SO/Lucasville, Ohio) launched a gap shot and scampered 360 feet, sliding into home for the inside the park home run.
The Bears tacked on three more runs in the third when Olivarria delivered a two-out bases-loaded double, putting the Bears ahead 13-3.
Clay Tefft (FR/Wauseon, Ohio) picked up the victory, going five strong, allowing three earned runs on six hits. Tefft (2-1) struck out a pair and walked three. Austyn Goodwin (FR/Lexington, Ky.) pitched a scoreless fourth for the Bears.
Urbana was able to get on the board with five runs in the bottom of the seventh, as both teams entered mass substitutions with the contest already in hand, but SSU's Mason Wisner (SR/Bay Village, Ohio) notched the final out of the game with a strikeout to complete the victory.
Shawnee State now turns sights to Mid-South Conference play, which opens this weekend. The Bears will kick off with a single game Friday at St. Catharine, before a twinbill Saturday to close out the weekend. Friday's game is slated for 1 p.m., with a Saturday start at 12 p.m.
