SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University wrestling team won six of the nine contested bouts Tuesday evening inside Heiges Field House and held off an expected upper-weight surge from visiting East Stroudsburg to score a 21-16 dual meet victory over the Warriors, who entered the match ranked sixth in Super Region I.

Shippensburg (4-4, 2-1 PSAC) raced out to a 15-4 lead through the first five weight classes but East Stroudsburg (3-4, 0-2 PSAC) countered with two decisions sandwiching a forfeit victory to lead 16-15 entering the ninth bout.

At 197 pounds, the match of the night featured freshman Evan Ramos, ranked fourth in the region at 184 pounds but wrestling up against ESU's Tyson Searer, a reigning national qualifier ranked third in the region.

Ramos set the early tone with a first-period takedown and accrued 1:44 of riding time in the frame. After starting the second period on the bottom, Ramos scored a reversal in 18 seconds but Searer notched his own reversal at 1:11. With the score 4-3 after two periods, Searer chose top position to slice further into the riding time deficit but was reversed after 30 seconds.

Trailing 6-3, Searer scored a reversal with just under 30 seconds to go and took the lead with a three-point near fall, but Ramos notched his third reversal of the match with six seconds left on the clock. The reversal secured the victory for Ramos, who finished with a 1:04 riding time advantage and a 9-8 decision.

Holding a two-point lead, senior Jacob Nale secured the Raider victory with a 10-4 decision at heavyweight. Nale notched a first-period point due to his opponent earning two stalling warnings and used a three-point near fall in the second period to take 4-0 advantage. He overcame a reversal late in the frame with an escape before notching an escape, takedown, penalty point and riding time advantage to comprise his final score.

SU exceled at the lower weights Tuesday night, beginning with junior Dave Calambas scoring a 2-0 decision over Anthony Marino, the region's No. 6-ranked wrestler. After a scoreless first frame, Calambas secured an escape and was credited with a penalty point after Marino locked hands. The third period also went without any points, giving Calambas his fourth straight win and bumping his dual meet record up to 6-1.

The height of SU's early momentum Tuesday night came at 157 pounds, where sophomore Mark Lentz scored an impressive 5-4 upset decision over ESU's Eric Howey, who was wrestling up from his position as the region's No. 4 seed at 149 pounds.

After a scoreless first period, Howey earned a three-point near fall in the second frame after riding Lentz for the duration of the period. Howey then remained on top to start the third period, but Lentz reversed after 26 seconds and began to take control of his opponent. After multiple near misses, Lentz tilted Howey in the final 10 seconds for a two-point near fall that swayed the decision in his favor.

Freshmen Karl Lightner and Kyle Barnes each pitched shutouts at their respective weight classes. Lightner earned an 11-0 major decision at 141 pounds, using a first-period takedown and two-point near fall to gain the early edge. Barnes, ranked No. 3 in Super Region I at 149 pounds, posted a 16-0 technical fall in 5:46, tallying three takedowns, three three-point near falls and a two-point near fall along the way.

Credit also goes to freshman Brett Pastore, who dropped a 7-1 decision against national No. 8 and regional No. 1 seed Braden Turner. Pastore held Turner scoreless for the opening frame and yielded back points just once to his All-American opponent over the final two frames.

Freshman Chris Miller dropped a 10-2 major decision at 133 pounds to Joey Kratochvil, the region's No. 5 seed, while junior Casey Hedash fell 2-0 at 184 pounds to Luke DeLuise, the region's No. 6 seed.

Shippensburg will travel to Millersville University on Saturday for the annual Mid-Penn Duals. SU has four bouts scheduled, beginning with a 10 a.m. matchup against Stevens.

Shippensburg 21, East Stroudsburg 16
125: Dave Calambas (SHIP) dec. Anthony Marino (ESU), 2-0 (3-0)
133: Joey Kratochvil (ESU) maj. dec. Chris Miller (SHIP), 10-2 (3-4)
141: Karl Lightner (SHIP) maj. dec. Marius Kola (ESU), 11-0 (7-4)
149: Kyle Barnes (SHIP) tech falls Joseph Hoy (ESU), 16-0 (5:46) (12-4)
157: Mark Lentz (SHIP) dec. Eric Howey (ESU), 4-3 (15-4)
165: Braden Turner (ESU) dec. Brett Pastore (SHIP), 7-1 (15-7)
174: Brendan McKeown (ESU) won by forfeit  (15-13)
184: Luke DeLuise (ESU) dec. Casey Hedash (SHIP), 2-0 (15-16)
197: Evan Ramos (SHIP) dec. Tyson Searer (ESU), 9-8 (18-16)
285: Jacob Nale (SHIP) dec. Tyler Richardson (ESU), 10-4 (21-16)

Records:
East Stroudsburg: 3-4, 0-2 PSAC
Shippensburg: 4-4, 2-1 PSAC