Portsmouth, Ohio – Strong pitching performances defined Shawnee State on a day where offense was hard to come by for both teams. In game one it was the duo of Austin Walker and Jesse James (SR/Grayson, Kentucky) who led the bears to a 3-2 win, while game two featured a near complete game from Tyler Arthur (SR/Morehead, Kentucky) as the Bears fell 3-2 in a final inning rally from the Trailblazers of Ohio Christian.
In game one the Trailblazers jumped out to an early lead stringing after a double from Ethan Skowronski which moved Hunter Gray into scoring position Isaiah Haley singled through left side of the infield to bring the run in. The Bears would answer in the bottom of the 2nd inning when Christian Helton (JR/Lexington, Kentucky) singled into left field bringing allowing Levi Jones (JR/Millersburg, Ohio) to score.
Ohio Christian would go on to take back the lead in the fifth on a single from Logan Hill. Shawnee State would go on to not only tie the game, but also take the lead in the next inning. Casey Claflin (SR/Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) doubled down the left field line scoring Anthony Nichols (JR/Fargo, North Dakota), and then Christian Helton lifted a ball into left field to score Seth Clement (FR/Kissimmee, Florida) for the game-deciding run. Two frames solid frames from SSU's Jesse James sealed a Bears victory.
Notable performances include Alex Walker (JR/Hopkinsville, Kentucky) who pitched 4.1 innings allowing two runs and recording three strikeouts. Christian Helton had two RBIs for the Bears and was 2-3 from the plate
In game two Shawnee State was the first team to strike, in the second inning Alex Medina (JR/Miami, Florida) singled to shallow center allowing Sam Gerhold (SR/Shelton, Washington) to cross the plate and put Shawnee in control. The trailblazer brought the game even in the fifth on a fielder's choice groundout, however SSU was quick to respond posting a run of their own when Seth Clement laced a triple into the left field corner. Christian Helton's sacrifice fly to center scored Clement and SSU took the lead 2-1.
In the final inning Tyler Arthur struck out the first batter in the inning before giving up a single. The next batter Arthur forced to groundout to first advancing the runner to second. After a walk Arthur was relieved by Dalton Phillips (JR/Hastings, Michigan) who forced a pop up on the infield. The ball dropped and allowed the Trailblazers to spark a two-run rally to defeat the Bears in game two of the double header.
Tyler Arthur posted a strong 6.2 innings of work recording six strikeouts and allowing only five hits. Alex Medina went 1-2 and had an RBI.
