SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University baseball team rallied for seven unanswered runs to tie the score before ultimately suffering an 11-7 loss to Gannon in a nine-inning nonconference clash Friday afternoon at Fairchild Field.
 
Shippensburg (3-1) came back from a 7-0 deficit thanks to a bat-around four-run fifth inning followed by a game-tying two-run rally in the sixth. Gannon (1-0) then responded with a decisive three-run top of the seventh to regain the lead for good.
 
Evan Shoffler served as a major catalyst for the SU comeback. The sophomore shortstop and reigning Atlantic Region Hitter of the Week was 2-for-4 Friday, collecting RBI hits in the third and the fifth. He finished with two RBIs and a run scored.
 
Freshman outfielder Lucas Ream had a breakout performance at the plate, delivering a two-run double during SU's fifth-inning rally. He went 2-for-4 overall with three runs scored and two driven in.
 
Mason Morris reached base in four of his five plate appearances, finishing 2-for-3 with a pair of walks and two runs scored.
 
Pitcher Jacob Dennis opened the door for the SU comeback with four straight scoreless innings in relief of SU starter Conner Barto. Dennis finished with a career-high nine strikeouts.
 
After plating an unearned run in the first, the Golden Knights scored six in the third to take a commanding seven-run lead. Eight of the first nine Gannon batters reached base in the frame, including five straight singles.
 
Shippensburg did not record its first hit against Gannon starter Ryan Hood until a third-inning double from Shoffler scored Ream, who reached on a one-out walk, for the Raiders' first run.
 
Kyle Ausgotharp and Morris began SU's bat-around fifth inning with back-to-back singles, and Ream followed with a ringing double into the right-centerfield gap to plate both baserunners.
 
Ream later scored on a Gannon throwing error, while Shoffler walked and scored to cut the Raider deficit to two, 7-5.
 
SU plated two additional runs an inning later to tie the score. A single sandwiched between a pair of walks loaded the bases with one out. The next batter, Shoffler, kept the train moving with sharply-hit RBI single to left. Will Oates followed with an RBI groundout to bring the hosts level.
 
The Raiders were unlucky on the play, as the grounder was initially bobbled by the first baseman before recovering in time to record the putout. Mike Heckman tried to score from second on the bobble, but the quick recovery resulted in the third out at home plate.
 
The Golden Knights used the momentum from that big play to finally get to Dennis in the seventh. A lead off double was brought home via a Matt Smith RBI single. Two more RBI hits in the frame resulted in a 10-7 margin and an eventual Gannon victory.
 
Golden Knight reliever Ryan Bioni came on in the home half of the seventh and pitched 2.2 scoreless frames to earn the save.
 
Gannon finished with 15 hits, including a team-high three from center fielder Brendan Koroly (3-for-5, 2 RBI, 1 R).
 
Brenden Anderson fanned three in 1.1 scoreless out of the SU 'pen.
 
Up next, the Raiders continue their weekend series against the Golden Knights with a doubleheader Saturday beginning at noon.