The Shippensburg University baseball team erased a 2-1 sixth inning deficit with seven unanswered runs over the final three frames to score a come-from-behind victory over Pitt-Johnstown in its home opener Thursday during a cold, blustery afternoon at Fairchild Field, 8-2.
 
Shippensburg (2-2) received a pair of clutch two-out knocks from sophomore Ty Sherman and freshman Kyle Ausgotharp to overtake Pitt-Johnstown (0-1) in the sixth, and added four more in the eighth to put the game away.
 
The comeback was possible thanks to SU bullpen, who combined for eight strikeouts and did not allow a hit over the final four frames.
 
Redshirt-senior Cameron Goble begin the sixth in relief of senior Jaxon Dalena and pitched two scoreless innings, striking out three out three to earn the win in relief. Junior Brenden Anderson struck out the side in the eighth on ten pitches, and junior Jack Robinson fanned two in a scoreless ninth to seal the win.
 
Junior Mike Heckman started the third with a single, stole second and scored on junior AJ Wenrich's two-out RBI single.
 
Dalena retired the first nine Mountain Cats he faced before running into trouble the second time through the UPJ batting order. A walk in front of a Justin Turcovski double put runners on second and third with one out. Dalena got the next batter swinging for a big second out before uncorking a wild pitch to bring in the tying run.
 
Doubles from Erik Rhodes and No. 9-hitter Cam Donaldson gave UPJ the lead an inning later, but a pair of outs on the basepaths – including an out at home plate – kept the Raider deficit at one.
 
A two-out sixth inning knock from freshman Thomas Cano-Piszel put two runners on base and kept the inning alive. A wild pitch allowed both runners to advance into scoring position for Sherman, who hit a sharp grounder just past the glove of the UPJ shortstop to plate the tying run. Ausgotharp followed with a ringing two-run triple to the left-centerfield gap to give SU the lead, 4-2.
 
Senior Bryce Herb stroked a two-run RBI triple in the Raiders' four-run eighth. Sophomore Mason Morris and Cano-Piszel also had RBI hits in the frame.
 
Wenrich (2-for-3, two runs scored), Cano-Piszel (2-for-4, two runs scored), Sherman (2-for-4, two runs scored) and Ausgotharp (2-for-2, two RBI) accounted for eight of the Raiders' 11 hits Thursday.
 
Dalena settled for the no decision after allowing just a pair of runs on three hits and striking out four over five innings of work.
 
Shippensburg will not play Friday's previously scheduled games against Pitt-Johnstown, instead they will return to action next Friday with a nine-inning nonconference matchup against Gannon. First pitch from Fairchild Field is set for 2 p.m.