Over the course of the 2021 season, the Shawnee State baseball program hasn't been shy about flexing its offensive muscle via the long ball.
The Bears showed off that same type of power Monday in a doubleheader against Point Park, getting five home runs combined from George Duran, Jacob Kline, Howie Rodriguez and Levi Jones and eight extra base hits in all en route to a split against the Pioneers (15-4 win, 9-3 loss) at Branch Rickey Park in Portsmouth.
With the Game 1 victory Monday afternoon, Shawnee State snapped a 15-game winning streak that Point Park had produced coming into the nonconference doubleheader, posting 11 of their 17 base hits Monday in the opening game of the set. The Bears now sit at 20-20 on the season.
Game 1
Bears explode in fifth, sixth
Shawnee State, who got the scoring started in the bottom half of the third inning of action thanks to a loud two-run homer by Duran to straightaway center field, fell behind by a 3-2 margin as back-to-back doubles by Ed Pfluger and Emilie Morillo in the fourth, along with a two-run triple by Pfluger in the fifth, allowed Point Park to take a one-run advantage.
However, the Bears changed the complexion of the game in a hurry behind a powerful offensive display that didn't relent.
Following a one-out single by Alex Gavern and an error, Gavern came across to score on Duran's fielder's choice to tie the score at three apiece. Duran then stole a base and advanced home on two different Point Park misplays to give SSU the point.
The scoring, however, was just beginning. Following an intentional walk to Kline, Howie Rodriguez singled to score Danny McGuire, which set up a towering blast by Levi Jones that ended up being a three-run homer to center field, giving Shawnee State a 8-3 lead by the time all of the damage was done in the fifth.
Not just settling for the six-run fifth where Shawnee State batted around, the Bears one-upped themselves in the sixth by sending 11 batters to the plate in a seven-run sixth frame. A hit batsman, followed by a Noah Sniadach base knock and two Point Park errors resulted in a run, while a double by McGuire resulted in two more.
Following a single by Kline to left field, Rodriguez then took his turn at attempting to clear the fence, successfully doing so with a no-doubt, three-run homer to left field to push Shawnee State's lead to an insurmountable 14-3. The Bears then added their final run in the contest as Jones doubled off the deep right center field fence, with courtesy runner Brennan Gangwish then scoring on behalf of Jones off of two wild pitches, to close out the SSU scoring.
Individual efforts/Game 1
Duran, who started the scoring, went 1-for-3 with his two-run homer leading to a three-RBI day at the plate. The leadoff hitter also scored three runs in addition to upping his home run count to seven and his RBI total to 25 for the season.
Jones finished 2-for-4 with all three of his RBI and the lone run scored coming off of his three-run shot, while Rodriguez finished the first game with a 2-for-4 line, notching four RBI and two runs scored in all on the strength of his own three-run blast. Jones now has three home runs and 31 RBI for the year while Rodriguez sits with seven home runs and 31 RBI himself.
Along with the above individuals, McGuire (2-for-4, double, three RBI, two runs scored) and Sniadach (2-for-3, double) also joined the multi-hit club in the contest.
On the bump, Drew Lowe pitched a strong outing throughout for the Bears, throwing six innings of seven-hit baseball while giving up three earned runs. Lowe forced seven flyouts and six groundouts, a big factor in stranding seven Point Park baserunners in the opener.
Troy Vermillion pitched the final inning for the Bears, pitching solid outside of a solo home run by the Pioneers' Michali Brito in the final frame en route to giving the Bears the 15-4 triumph.
Kline stars in Game 2
Having enjoyed one of the greatest seasons offensively in Shawnee State baseball history up to this point, junior infielder Jacob Kline only added to it in Game 2.
Following a 1-for-3, two-run effort in Game 1, Kline spent the entirety of Game 2 hammering the ball, first posting a two-run homer to tie the score in the fourth inning and then going back-to-back with a solo home run in the sixth frame of action.
While the Bears ultimately fell by a 9-3 margin, Kline's two homers led to a 2-for-3, three-RBI, two-run Game 2. For the season, Kline now has 15 home runs and 58 RBI -- stats that are tied for sixth and eighth in a single season in program history. His 15 home runs are tied with Dan Grummitt -- a draft pick of the-then Tampa Bay Devil Rays and a SSU Hall of Famer -- while his 58 RBI are tied with Logan Crabtree.
Kline sits four home runs away from tying the school's all-time mark of 19, all set by Brad Beale, Brian Harrison and Brandon Doss in the year 2000. His 58 RBI sit 29 away from the school record of 87, also set by Harrison in 2000.
NEXT UP
Shawnee State will prepare for a significant Mid-South Conference series this coming weekend as the Bears play No. 3-ranked Cumberlands (Ky.). SSU and UCKY will first square off Friday at 3 p.m. to begin the series.
For more information on SSU Bears Athletics, visit www.ssubears.com or visit the Twitter and Facebook pages at https://twitter.com/SSUBears and https://www.facebook.com/SSUBears. For more information on how to join the SSU Bear Club or for sponsorship of specific SSU players or events, visit https://givetossu.com/bear-club and https://givetossu.com/sponsorthebears.
