JAMESTOWN, N.Y. – The Shippensburg University baseball team got its first win of the 2017 Atlantic Region Baseball Championships on Saturday with a 10-5 victory over Shepherd on a sunny and beautiful afternoon at Russell Diethrick Park.

Shippensburg (31-23-1) advances to face Winston-Salem State (37-18) in an elimination game at 11 AM Sunday. The winner of that game will come right back at 3:30 p.m. to face the loser of Saturday evening's game between Mercyhurst and West Chester. Shepherd (32-23) was eliminated with its second loss of the tournament.
 
The Rams got the leadoff man on base in all five innings against Shippensburg junior starting pitcher Gabe Mosser, building a 2-0 lead in the top of the third by plating runs on a sacrifice fly and a wild pitch. Mosser induced double plays in the first (5-4-3) and second innings (strikeout, caught stealing) to escape jams.
 
Shippensburg ended a streak of 11 consecutive scoreless innings at the regional with a five-run, six-hit third inning – highlighted by a two-out, three-run home run off the bat of sophomore catcher Drew Bene. The home run was preceded by an RBI double from junior Nick Spangler and an RBI single by junior Grant Hoover.
 
The Raiders kept the momentum going with a two-run fourth inning and a three-run fifth inning to break the game open. SU ripped 11 of its 14 hits in the three decisive innings against three different Ram pitchers.
 
Junior Grant Hoover had hits in each of his first three plate appearances and produced three RBIs – his third multi-RBI game of the season. Hoover delivered a two-run single in the fourth inning that extended the Raider advantage to 7-2.
 
In the three-run fifth inning, the Raiders scored three runs on four pitches. Sophomore Jack Goertzen laced an RBI double down the right-field line on the second pitch of the inning, immediately after Bene opened the frame with a triple on the first pitch. Two pitches later, sophomore Ty Painter crushed a two-run home run over the left-field fence – his third long ball of the year – to make it 10-2 in SU's favor.
 
Bene was 3-for-4 and finished a double shy of the cycle. He also threw out a runner trying to steal to end the second inning on a double play. Goertzen went 2-for-4, as eight different Raiders had at least one hit on the afternoon.
 
Senior Ryan McMillen was 2-for-4 with two doubles, a walk and a run scored. He has scored 62 runs in 2017 – third-most in a single season at SU. McMillen's 46 career doubles rank fourth all-time in school history.
 
Mosser improved to 8-5 on the year, scattering two runs on six hits over five innings of work. He walked three and struck out five while throwing just 81 pitches. Freshman Jacob Menders (two innings, three runs, two strikeouts), redshirt-freshman Zack Sims (one inning, no runs) and sophomore Michael Hope (one inning, no runs) worked in relief.
 
The Raiders defeated Shepherd for the third time in four meetings this season. Ron Farley had three hits and made multiple highlight-reel defensive plays in left field for the Rams, while Daniel Heleine and Brandon Kirk hit home runs.