SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University baseball team split a pair of non-conference games Tuesday with regional rival Shepherd, falling 8-0 in the opener before winning the nightcap, 14-8, on a blustery afternoon from Fairchild Field.
 
Shippensburg (23-21) finished the afternoon with 14 runs on 17 hits and five errors while Shepherd (28-10) had 16 runs on 18 hits and one error.
 
Senior Jimmy Spanos hit a combined 5-for-7 with a double and two RBIs as freshman Nick Spangler finished 2-for-3 with three walks, two runs scored and a stolen base.
 
Senior Cody Ezolt blasted a grand slam in the third inning of Game 2, pushing his home run total to 10 on the season. Ezolt has two of SU's five grand slams this season. Sophomore Jake Kennedy has two and Spanos has one.
 
Kennedy (16) and Ezolt (10) are the first Raider duo to hit double-digit home runs in a single-season since 1999 when Dan Hogan hit 11 and Greg Miller hit 10.
 
In Game 1, Shepherd scored three runs in the third inning and five in the fourth. Ram pitcher Sam Crater threw five scoreless frames to record his ninth win of the season.
 
Junior Thomas Swartz struck out four in two scoreless innings of relief while freshman Andy Crum pitched a scoreless seventh inning out of the pen.
 
In Game 2, Shippensburg scored four runs in the first, two in the second and eight in the third inning. Shepherd's starter Austin Guy entered the contest with a 0.47 ERA in 19.1 innings this season but allowed six runs on six hits before being chased after two innings in the nightcap.
 
Freshman Dalton Hoiles finished the afternoon 2-for-5 with a three-run home run and two runs scored. Freshman Grant Hoover hit a combined 3-for-4 and scored one run.
 
Freshman Gabe Mosser tossed two scoreless innings and picked up the win in Game 2, marking his sixth consecutive appearance with a win.
 
Shippensburg hosts West Chester on Friday for a Senior Day doubleheader at 1 p.m. from Fairchild Field.