SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. –  Senior designated hitter Nash Hutter (Sunland, CA/Verdugo Hills/Glendale CC) belted a pair of homers and senior first baseman Nathan Minnich (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro Area Sr.) added another to lead Shepherd University to a 14-12 win over Pitt-Johnstown in WVIAC baseball action at Fairfax Field on Saturday. Pitt Johnstown earned a 12-7 win an earlier game that had been suspended on Saturday due to rain.

 

Trailing 5-4 in the second game, Shepherd plated eight runs on just three hits in the fourth to take a commanding 12-5 lead. Hutter, who hit a two-run blast in the third, belted a grand slam and sophomore outfielder Aaron Scoville (Centreville, VA/Westfield) hit a two-run single to key the rally.

 

The Rams added insurance runs in the seventh and eighth. Minnich hit a solo blast off Shaw Hall in the seventh and  junior second baseman Chad Murphy (North Olmsted, OH/North Olmsted) had an RBI-single in the eighth.

 

Hutter drove in six runs, while Scoville and Murphy each drove in a pair. Junior outfielder Jake Cook (Centreville, MD/Queen Anne’s) paced the Rams with three runs scored.

 

Nate Pope went 2-for-5 with three RBIs and Drew Westover belted a two-run homer and scored four runs to pace the Mountain Cats.

 

Sophomore pitcher Trevor Appleby (Chambersburg, PA/Chambersburg) (3.0 IP, 2 Ks, 0 BB, 2 ER) picked up the win to improve to 6-3 on the year. Freshman reliever Brian Martin (Westminster, MD/Winters Mill) (3.0 IP, 4 Ks, 3 BB, 1 H, 2 ER) gained his second save of the year. Nate Plummer (0-2) took the loss for the Mountain Cats.

Pitt-Johnstown used a 15-hit attack to gain a 12-7 win in the earlier game that was suspended on Saturday.

 

UPJ plated four runs in the third behind a two-run homer by Kyle Morrow and a two-run single by Nathan Pope to take a 7-1 lead to pull away for the win.

 

Mike Palkovich went 4-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBIs, while Jeff Campbell added two hits and drove in three runs to lead the Mountain Cats.

 

Sophomore outfielder Michael Lott (Woodbridge, VA/Woodbridge) went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and an RBI to lead the Rams. Sophomore second baseman Brandon Coffey (Manassas, VA/Osbourn) added a 2-for-3 effort with an RBI.

 

Heath Singer (1-0) picked up the win for Pitt-Johnstown, while Shepherd starter Andrew Gallant (Oak Ridge, NJ/Jefferson Township) took the loss to fall to 4-3.

 

Shepherd moves to 27-19, 19-12 in WVIAC play, while Pitt-Johnstown is now 24-25, 17-17. The Rams await word on possible makeup games and seeding for the WVIAC Tournament.

Notes: Minnich broke a pair of Shepherd season records today. His 66 runs batted in on the year eclipse the old mark of 65 set by Dirk Webb in 2006, while his 141 total bases surpass the old mark of 139 set by Brian Collins in 2009.