FT. PIERCE, Fla. - Led by its two All-Region selections a year ago in junior Matt Wright and senior Justin Garber, the Shippensburg University baseball team won its eighth consecutive game, defeating Pittsburgh-Johnstown in a match-up of two of the top teams in the North Atlantic Region, 5-0 and 5-2 Monday evening at Lawnwood Complex.

The Red Raiders (9-7) entered the game ranked fifth in Monday's National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) North Atlantic Region Poll while the Mountain Cats moved up two spots to seventh after being ranked ninth last week.

Wright allowed just one hit in game one, a one-out single in the top of the fifth to Josh Campanella, while striking out 11 and walking only two in picking up his first win of the season. His 11 strikeouts moved Wright past Jason Kanovich '98 into third place on the school's career list with 218.

The victory was the 11th complete game of Wright's career while improving his record to 14-5. It was also his fourth career victory by shutout. He is now just five wins shy of tying Kanovich and Steve Schaaf '79 for ninth on the school's all-time list.

Wright and UPJ starter Ben Watkins were locked in a scoreless pitcher's duel through three-and-a-half innings before the Red Raiders scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth.

After sophomore Rick Shumway led off the fifth with a walk and freshman Kevin Miller popped up a sacrifice bunt attempt to the catcher, junior Kasey Kuhns hit a double to left center, scoring Shumway to give Shippensburg a 1-0 lead which proved to be all the support Wright would need.

Kuhns would later score on an RBI-single through the left side by senior Eric Dezell.

Entering the Shippensburg half of the fourth, Watkins had allowed just two hits and worked his way out of a jam in the second when the Red Raiders had runners on the corners with their top hitter in Garber at the plate.

The Mountain Cats (4-6) immediately threatened in the top of the sixth, loading the bases on a leadoff walk and two hit-by-pitch. However, Wright got UPJ clean-up man Matt Hanley to strike out swinging to end the inning. Hanley's second strikeout of the game was the first of four consecutive for Wright to end the game.

Following an RBI-double to left by Garber in the bottom of the sixth, junior Kyle Rhoades capped the scoring for Shippensburg with a two-out, two-RBI single to left that scored Garber and Dezell.

Dezell finished game one with a season-high three hits, going 3-for-3 with one RBI and a run scored. Meanwhile, Garber finished with his 13th multi-hit game in 16 this season.

While Garber extended his hitting streak to 17-straight in game one, he needed help to extend it to 18 in the second game as he went his first three at-bats without one, getting hit by a pitch, striking out and walking in his first three plate appearances.

With the Red Raiders leading 4-1 in the top of the sixth and following a UPJ pitching change in which Erik Tuomisto replaced Chuck Boring, Garber hit a two-out single to center in his last at-bat to keep the streak alive.

As for the game, the Mountain Cats took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second when Andy Rubal singled to right to score Campanella.

Boring would make the one-run lead hold until the fourth as he held Shippensburg without a hit through three innings, retiring nine consecutive batters after he led off the game with back-to-back hit-by-pitch against Garber and junior Tyler Redick.

However, in the fourth, the Red Raiders would score two runs on three hits to take a 2-1 lead on RBIs by Shumway and Miller. They doubled their total with two more runs in the fifth, both coming on a single to left by Kevin Scholly that scored Rhoades and Garber.

On the mound, junior Tim Freshour kept the Mountain Cats at bay, scattering eight hits over six innings to pick up his team-leading fourth win of the season. Senior Kyle Warner came on to preserve a three-run lead in the seventh to pick up his team-leading second save.

Scholly and Miller each finished with two hits and two RBIs to lead Shippensburg offensively.

The Red Raiders will take Tuesday off before traveling to No. 7-ranked Tampa for the first of two, nine-inning contests on Wednesday and Thursday. The Spartans are 14-4-1 heading into Monday night's home game against Slippery Rock.

- Red Raider Baseball -