The baseball program at Shawnee State got a solid six-inning outing from Kyle Wisniewski, a good two-inning relief performance from Ricky Deeble and kept a nonconference bout against Brewton-Parker (Ga.) to a single-run deficit throughout most of the series opener against the Barons Friday evening, but ultimately fell by a 5-0 mark in the contest between the two schools in Mount Vernon, Ga.

Shawnee State, who fell to 2-3 on the season, played well throughout most of the evening thanks to the help of Wisniewski, who went six full innings and struck out eight batters while walking none during his time on the bump.

The Bears only put two base runners on over the first four innings as a single by Javier Santiago and a drawn hit by pitch by Damion Coleman in the second, which didn't amount to a run in the score column, were all that Shawnee State mustered.

However, Wisniewski matched Brewton-Parker starting hand Benjamin Harris pitch-for-pitch in the contest by striking out six batters in the first four innings alone, and held two men in scoring position in the opening frame of action to keep the game tight, as Phillip Collins' one-out double, which led to an RBI base knock from Jordan Rahn, proved to be the only salvo for either team through four inning of work.

With an opportunity to take control over Brewton-Parker with one big inning, Shawnee State began the fifth inning in a promising fashion as a single by Levi Jones was followed by a walk from Coleman and a bunt single from Danny McGuire that loaded the bags with nobody out in the fifth inning. Unfortunately, however, the Bears missed their golden opportunity to capitalize, as Shawnee State wasn't able to put the ball in play with Harris striking out the next three batters consecutively to end the frame with no harm done.

The score remained at a 1-0 margin following two additional strikeouts from Wisniewski in the bottom half of the fifth frame, but in the bottom of the sixth inning, Brewton-Parker's offense came alive as a leadoff triple from Collins was followed by an error, allowing Collins to score his second run of the game. Jackson Smith then came to the plate two batters and launched a two-run homer over the left field fence, while a single by Mauri Miller, a stolen base by Miller that was compounded by a throwing error, and an RBI single by Taz Worrell allowed the Barons to post a four-run inning that ultimately put the game out of reach.

Along with Wisniewski and Deeble, who combined for an outstanding 12 strikeouts to just one walk in eight innings, Howie Rodriguez joined Jones, McGuire and Santiago in the hit column by posting SSU's lone extra base hit with two gone in the top half of the fifth frame.

Shawnee State will be back in action against Brewton-Parker in a doubleheader Saturday afternoon. Game time is set for 2 p.m. in Mount Vernon, Ga.

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