Baseball vs. Shippensburg Day 2
8
Gannon GANNON 0-3
11
Winner Shippensburg SHIP-B 7-2
Gannon GANNON
0-3
8
Final
11
Shippensburg SHIP-B
7-2
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Gannon GANNON 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 2 8 10 0
Shippensburg SHIP-B 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 2 5 11 19 2

W: Eric Bohenek (1-1) L: Whiteman, Carson (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Gannon Rallies Only to See Shippensburg Hit Walk-Off Home Run

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Gannon baseball team was one strike away from completing an incredible rally at Shippensburg, but instead the Golden Knights will look for their first win in 2023 when they head to Florida later this week. Shippensburg's Austin Baal hit a grand slam to complete a five-run rally for the Raiders in the ninth for an 11-8 win. Shippensburg swept the three-game weekend series and is now 7-2 while Gannon is 0-3.

Gannon entered the eighth inning trailing 4-0 and had managed just four hits to that point. The Golden Knights pushed across six runs in the top of the eighth inning thanks to three hits, three walks and a pair of Shippensburg errors.

Kieran Gagnon (Mono, Ontario/Westside) got the Knights on the board as he was hit by a pitch, stole second and third, and scored when Miguel Vega (Florida, Puerto Rico/Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy) stole second and Gagnon scored on a throwing error by the catcher. Freshman Brendan Koroly (Mars, Pa./Pittsburgh Central Catholic) singled up the middle for his first career hit to plate Vega. Ian Hess (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) singled and Brandon Wetherholt (Gibsonia, Pa./Mars Area) walked to load the bases, and Ryan Kalbfus (Penfield, N.Y./Penfield) followed with a sacrifice fly. Jared Bielanin's (Erie, Pa./McDowell) two-out single tied the game at 4-4, and Gagnon walked with the bases loaded to give.
Gannon it's first lead of the season at 5-4. Bielanin would score on an error to complete the six-run inning as Gannon pulled ahead 6-4.

Shippensburg knotted the score at 6-6 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning to set up a very eventful ninth inning. Gannon regained a two-run lead at 8-6 pushing across a pair of runs. Wetherholt's double to right center drove in Hess, who singled for his third hit. Wetherholt came around on a two-out ground-rule double by Bielanin. It was Bielanin's third hit of the afternoon.

Connor DeMoss (Uniontown, Pa./Uniontown Area) started the bottom of the ninth inning on the mound after getting the last out of the eighth inning. A foul out and strikeout left the transfer from Mercyhurst one out from his first win as a Golden Knight. Bryce Herb kept the inning alive with a single up the middle after fouling off four pitches with a 1-2 count. Joe Barbera walked to summon Carson Whiteman (Kane, Pa./Kane Area) from the bullpen. Mike Heckman hit an RBI single to pull the Raiders to within 8-7. A hit by pitch loaded the bases and Baal followed with the game-winning grand slam to right.

Shippensburg ended the day with 19 hits while Gannon had 10. Hess and Bielanin were both 3-for-5, with Bielanin driving in a pair of runs. Wetherholt was 2-for-4 with an RBI.  

Jake Visha (Cleveland, Ohio/Trinity) started the game and went the first three innings, allowing three runs. Mercyhurst transfer Ryan Smerkar (Erie, Pa./Northwest Pa Collegiate Academy (Strong Vincent)) threw the fourth inning and allowed a run before freshman Jacob Engel (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) came in and shut the Raiders down with three shutout innings. He scattered four hits and two walks and struck out two. Gannon ended up using six pitchers and Shippensburg five.

Gannon heads south at the end of the week to play nine games in eight days in Florida in the Russ-Matt Invitational. They face Tiffin on Saturday, February 25 in Auburndale, Fla. Before a doubleheader the next day vs. Findlay in Davenport, Fla.
 
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