SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University baseball team split a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) doubleheader with Shepherd on Saturday afternoon, winning Game 1, 3-2, before dropping Game 2, 10-5, at Fairchild Field.
 
Shippensburg (18-14, 6-6 PSAC East) tallied 18 hits across two games, with seven Raiders recording multiple hits in the doubleheader.
 
Shepherd (18-11, 6-6) snapped its five-game losing streak against SU with a 10-5 victory in Game 2.
 
Game 1
 
Graduate Justin Byler got Shippensburg on the board early in Game 1 with an RBI-single through the middle to bring sophomore Gio Calamia in from second base.
 
Shepherd took the lead in the third with a home run from Idris Carter and an RBI-double from Sam Daggers.
 
The Raiders answered quickly in the bottom of the frame as Byler notched his second RBI with a double to left field. Junior Morgan Wyatt followed that up with a sacrifice bunt to score Byler.
 
Junior Jackson LoBianco earned the win in his first collegiate start, putting up zeroes in six of his seven innings pitched. He improved to 3-0 with his first career complete game.
 
Freshman Mike Heckman went 2-3 in the contest with a single and a double.
 
Game 2
 
SU fell behind in the third as Ross Mulhall brought in a run on a sacrifice fly. Mike Guzzardo tacked on three more runs in the inning, clearing the bases on a triple to left field that was just short of a grand slam.
 
The Rams piled on a pair of runs in the fifth to give Shepherd the 6-0 lead at the halfway mark of the contest.
 
The Raiders began to claw back in the bottom of the fifth as junior Austin Baal brought home Heckman with a standup triple to left field.
 
In the two subsequent at-bats redshirt-sophomore Brock Piper and Wyatt notched RBIs to cut the Rams lead to just three runs.
 
Shippensburg couldn't hold on to the momentum as Shepherd scored four runs in the final two innings, highlighted by Idris Carter's second homer of the day.
 
A two-run shot to left field from Wyatt helped pull SU closer, though the Raiders ultimately fell to the Rams 10-5.
 
Freshman J.T. Weaver threw four strikeouts and allowed just one hit through two and two-thirds innings, getting pinned with the loss.
 
Junior Austen LaBarre and sophomore Jaxon Dalena made appearances on the mound, combining for six strikeouts and three walks.
 
Heckman, Piper, and Byler each registered three hits on the day.
 
Collectively, the Raiders amassed seven extra-base hits, including doubles from five different batters.
 
Shippensburg returns to Fairchild Field on Tuesday for a non-conference matchup with Pitt-Johnstown beginning at 3 p.m.