Shippensburg University’s baseball team began its season down in North Carolina this past weekend, losing a pair of games to national No. 3 Catawba with a win in the middle game of the series.

The season began with a bang on Friday, as senior Carter Hinds hit a leadoff homerun to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead in the first inning. The offense did not sustain that start, as Catawba won game one 6-4.

Graduate Jaxon Dalena got the start on the mound for SU, beginning his season with three no-hit innings. He unraveled in the fourth inning as Catawba scored four runs. Dalena was given the loss, giving up four earned runs in four innings while striking out seven.

Shippensburg scored three runs in the ninth, with freshmen Kyle Ausgotharp and Mason Morris each earning their first collegiate RBIs. Hinds led with three hits, and sophomore Ty Sherman and senior Bryce Herb each earned a pair of hits.

The Raiders bats came to life on Saturday, as they scored in seven different innings on their way to a 14-8 victory. SU slugged five homers in the game, leading 12-1 after seven innings in a dominant win.

Freshman Thomas Cano-Piszel was the first Raider to homer, breaking a 1-1 tie in the second inning. Ausgotharp hit his first collegiate homer immediately after, with the back-to-back jacks providing lots of momentum to the offense.

Senior Gio Calamia added a pair of home runs later in the game, a solo shot in the fifth inning along with a two-run homer in the sixth. The remaining homer went to junior AJ Weinrich, his first in an SU uniform.

Nine different players got a hit for Shippensburg, with Calamia leading the team by going 3-for-6. He also led the team with three RBIs, with Cano-Piszel and junior Mike Heckman each driving in a pair.

Junior J.T. Weaver earned the win in his season debut, throwing five innings of one-run ball while striking out a pair. Freshman Thomas Davenport had a great collegiate debut out of the bullpen, throwing 1.1 innings and striking out all four batters he faced.

The series finale was all Catawba, as they defeated Shippensburg 13-1. Control was an issue for the Raiders, as their six pitchers walked a combined twelve hitters.

Graduate Eric Bohenek took the loss on the mound, only going two innings in his start while allowing four earned runs on three hits and two walks. Hinds had the lone RBI of the day for the offense as part of a 2-for-4 game.

The Raiders are scheduled to begin a 10-game homestand this weekend, beginning with a four-game series against Saint Michael’s. The series consists of a pair of doubleheaders beginning at noon on Friday and noon on Saturday, all at Fairchild Field.

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