WINCHESTER, Ky. -- From start to finish, the Shawnee State baseball program left little doubt as to who the better unit was in a doubleheader against the Goshen Maple Leafs' baseball program -- as the Bears got a combined three-hitter with 14 strikeouts from Ethan Ison, Jakobe Reese and Jace Parnin in Game 1, obtained a complete-game five hitter from the quartet of Logan Paplham, Ethan Campbell, Lyndon Sinclair and Carson Wireman in Game 2, and received 16 runs on 17 hits from the SSU offense in both contests as the Bears defeated Goshen, 6-0 and 10-2, Friday afternoon in a nonconference doubleheader that was held at George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester, Ky.
Game 1
After putting two runners on base via a pair of doubles in the opening inning but failing to score, Shawnee State made certain that it capitalized on its opportunities at the plate throughout the remainder of the contest.
Following back-to-back walks by Wyatt Haupt and Zach Gaspar in the second inning, Eli Jones' two-out RBI single proved to be clutch as the sophomore from Williamsburg came up large with a critical RBI base knock to put the Bears up by a 1-0 margin -- continuing to add to what has been a strong start to the season for a player who has worked his way into the starting lineup. Hunter Warner then added in another critical tally to the margin -- as his two-out homer to left in the third inning of play put Shawnee State ahead by a 2-0 count.
The Bears then spent the middle innings blowing the game open -- as after a one-out single by Gaspar, Nolan Tressler followed with an RBI double to left. Mason Reid then came up large three batters later -- as his two-RBI double blew the lead open to a 5-0 margin after four innings of work.
Haupt -- who continues to play strong baseball in his own right -- then capped off the scoring appropriately by blasting a solo home run to left center in the fifth to complete a 6-0 win for Shawnee State in the opener.
Tressler (2-for-4, two doubles, RBI, run scored) led Shawnee State in Game 1 offensively, while Jones (1-for-3, walk, RBI), Reid (1-for-4, double, two RBI), Warner (1-for-3, home run, RBI, run scored), Haupt (1-for-4, home run, RBI, run scored), Gaspar (1-for-1, walk, run scored), Diego Mendoza (1-for-3, double, walk) and Jace Parnin (1-for-3, walk) all joined in on the hit club in Friday's opener. The effective hitting from top-to-bottom allowed Shawnee State to score four of its six runs with two outs on the board.
Pitching-wise, Ethan Ison, who got the start in Friday's opener, fired five innings of two-hit baseball -- striking out 11 batters in the process. Parnin and Jakobe Reese then each threw an inning apiece to close the game out, notching three strikeouts between them while allowing just one hit to seal the shutout.
Game 2
In the second contest, Shawnee State initially trailed by a 1-0 count over the opening half inning of work, but wasted no time flipping the cards on Goshen as the Bears were able to get singles from Nolan Tressler and Diego Mendoza, with Tressler and Zach Gaspar later scoring in the inning to put Shawnee State ahead by a 2-1 margin after an inning of play.
Shawnee State then continued to add to its lead as the Bears scored over four consecutive innings for the second time over the course of the day -- with Eli Jones' single, steal of second base and a wild pitch allowing Jones to score on a Mendoza RBI groundout in the third inning to push the lead to a 3-1 count. Then, after two errors and a balk, a wild pitch and an RBI double by Tyler Lund increased Shawnee State's lead to a 5-1 margin after four innings complete.
Mason Reid, who came into Friday's affairs hitting a team-best .429 at the plate, then cranked a two-run homer to left center to bring in Mendoza again after the latter singled -- pushing the lead to 7-1 after five innings complete -- and in the sixth frame, a walk by Reid and an error led to a two-RBI double by Hunter Warner and a sacrifice fly RBI by Wyatt Haupt, helping complete the SSU scoring as the Bears held a commanding lead at that juncture.
Offensively, Mendoza (2-for-3, RBI), Reid (1-for-2, home run, walk, two RBI, two runs scored) and Warner (1-for-2, double, walk, two RBI, run scored) all contributed to Shawnee State's firepower while Tressler (1-for-3, walk, run scored), Jones (1-for-3, run scored), Lund (1-for-2, walk, RBI) and Jace Parnin (1-for-4, run scored) all joining the hit parade. Haupt walked, drove in a run and also scored once while Gaspar scored three times as a courtesy runner in Shawnee State's victories.
Over the course of the contest, Logan Paplham, Ethan Campbell, Lyndon Sinclair, and Carson Wireman combined for 11 strikeouts in their collective five-hitter -- with Paplham notching five punchouts in four innings in his start on the mound.
Additional
With Friday's victories, Shawnee State (5-4) gets a week to rest. The Bears are presently scheduled to play Miami-Hamilton in Hamilton, Ohio Friday, Feb. 21 in what will be a doubleheader that is slated to begin at 1 p.m.
Potential changes to games, if inclement weather does occur, will be announced at www.ssubears.com and the below social media accounts:
