WISE - - Three Cavaliers had two or more hits as UVa-Wise claimed an 11-5 win over Shepherd University in the first game of a doubleheader at Stallard Field Saturday. The visiting Rams withstood a late rally to post a 9-7 win in the finale to earn the split.
Shepherd (14-7, 8-2) got off to a fast start in the opener. Tre Porter hit the first of his three home runs in the doubleheader to give the Rams a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Later in the inning, Rob Farley hit a solo homer to centerfield to extend the lead to 2-0.
UVa-Wise (12-14, 2-8) starter Jared Finch would settle down and not allow another run until the fifth frame. Finch's work on the mound gave the Cavs a chance to get the bats going in the home third.
Tye Marshall had a two-run single before Vinny Kuchenbuch singled in a third run in the frame.
A frame later, UVa-Wise was at it again as Ty Lighton knocked in David Thomas on a bunt single before Steve Klaiber's two-run single scored Lighton and Ryan Dickt.
Trailing 6-2, Porter cut the lead in half when his second homer of the game, a two-run blast over the left field wall made the score 6-4 in the top of the fifth. Christian Hammel added a third run when he knocked in JJ Sarty with a base hit.
With its lead cut to one, UVa-Wise responded with a pair of runs in the home half of the inning. Kuchenbuch doubled in Marshall before scoring on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Matt Wright.
Junior left-hander Kenny Ball came in to replace Finch in the sixth and found himself in trouble with two outs. Jacob Carney laid down a two-out bunt and reached first safely to put two runners on allowing Porter to come to bat as the tying run.
Ball would get Porter in a 2-2 count before striking out the shortstop swinging on an outside pitch.
Ball's strikeout preceded a three-run home sixth thanks to a three-run double by Ben Coffman.
Ball returned the mound to hang another zero in the seventh to post the save. The outing was the fourth consecutive scoreless appearance for the junior who notched his first save of 2016.
Finch improved his record to 2-5 by tossing five innings of five-run ball. The senior struck out six while walking just one in his 86-pitch effort.
A.J. Stead dropped to 3-1, the Shepherd hurler surrendered six runs in four innings of work while walking two and hitting one.
Kuchenbuch and Marshall each lined three hits with two RBIs while Lighton collected two hits and scored three runs in the victory.
As was the case in game one, Shepherd took an early lead in the finale. The Rams scored four unearned runs off two errors while picking up just one hit in the frame.
The Cavs responded in the home half with three runs of their own. Klaiber picked up an RBI single before UVa-Wise plated two runs on a Shepherd error.
The Rams would take a 5-3 lead to the bottom of the second as a Sarty sacrifice fly scored Carney.
Neither side would score until the visiting half of the fourth when Porter's third homer of the day cleared the left field wall to give Shepherd a 6-3 margin.
UVa-Wise would get to within 6-4 in the home fifth on a two-out RBI single by Thomas but a solo homer off the bat of Shepherd's Brandon Kirk ran the lead back to three at 7-4 going to the home sixth.
The Rams would take a four-run lead for the second time in the game when Carney knocked in Kirk with a one-out single in the eighth.
The Cavs continued to battle as a two-RBI single by Coffman and a run scoring hit by Marshall cut the lead to 8-7 moving to the ninth.
UVa-Wise would appear to be on the cusp of going to the bottom of the ninth trailing by a run after retiring the first two batters of the frame. However, an error, a walk and a run-scoring hit would allow Shepherd to take a 9-7 lead to the home half of the frame.
The Cavs would get the winning run the plate with one out following a pair of infield singles but the Rams' Jamie Driver would come out of the bullpen to record the save, salvaging the split.
Collin Benner improved to 3-0 on the mound as he tossed seven innings of four-run (two earned) ball. Benner struck out six while walking two and allowing 11 hits in the winning effort.
Justin Zaferakis fell to 1-2 as the freshman was a victim of his defense. Just one of Zaferakis' five runs allowed were earned as he struck out three and allowed two hits in three innings of work.
Coffman and Lighton had three hits in the loss while Marshall, Klaiber and Kuchenbuch had two hits.
Porter led with the Rams with three hits, two runs scored and an RBI.
UVa-Wise will have a quick turnaround as the team travels to Fairmont State for a 1 p.m. Sunday start.
