EUCLID, Ohio -- Shawnee State came into this weekend playing .750-baseball in the American Mideast Conference and in second place. The Bears backed that up Friday, sweeping a twin bill from the host Falcons, 10-4 and 9-2.

With the pair of victories, SSU runs their American Mideast Conference mark to 11-3 this season. The Bears are 18-17 overall. Shawnee came into the day in second place in the AMC.

With the loss, Notre Dame (6-28, 3-17 AMC) has dropped six straight and 14 of their last 15.

Shawnee first baseman Brian Ramey went 6-for-8 with a pair of doubles on the day. Senior #Joe Young# played both games, serving as NDC's designated hitter. He reached base five times.

Game 1
In the first game, Shawnee State plated a pair of unearned runs off Falcon starter #Mick Robinson# in the second inning. The Bears got four more runs in the fourth, on four hits, a walk and an error. SSU chased Robinson in the fifth when the first four batters of the inning reached base. The Bears scored three in the fifth to take a 9-0 lead.

On the bottom half of the scorecard, Shawnee starter Andrew Carter was effective. The sophomore right-hander, who came into the game with a nifty 3.55 ERA, tossed four shutout frames to start the game. The Falcons finally got to Carter in the bottom of the fifth, when the first three NDC batters reached. Notre Dame scored three in the inning, on RBIs by #Kevin Butler#, #Ryan Weaver#, and #Eric Johnson#.

The Falcons scored an unearned run off Carter in the sixth, but that's the last run they managed. For the game, the NDC defense committed three errors, which led to five SSU runs.

Robinson went four innings in the loss. The NDC southpaw yielded nine runs (four earned) on nine hits. He walked four and struck out four. Right-hander #Sean Harnish# was solid in relief. He went the remaining three frames, allowing one run on three base hits. Right fielder #Eric Pelot# went 2-for-2 with a walk in the first game.

Game 2
In the nightcap, SSU plated a solo run off NDC starter #Andrew Hyde# in the second inning, and the Bears tacked on three unearned runs in the third to take a 4-0 lead. Side-winding right-hander Austin May started for the Shawnee in game two. He held NDC scoreless through three.

Notre Dame scored two in the home half of the fourth, after which the Falcons trailed, 5-2. The Bears got those runs back in the top of the fifth to extend their lead to 7-2. Senior left-hander #Jon Harnish# came on to relieve Hyde in the fifth. Hyde went 4-2/3 innings, allowing seven runs (two earned) on eight hits. Making his first start since tossing a one-hitter against Rio Grande on April 4, the freshman hurler fanned three while walking one.

SSU closed out the scoring with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh. May was lifted after six; he allowed two runs and five hits, while striking out three and inducing nine groundball outs. Harnish finished the game for the Falcons, going 2-1/3 innings.

The two AMC foes are scheduled to close out their four-game set with a twin bill on Saturday, April 11. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.


NOTES FROM THE NEST…

TWO FOR ONE: Notre Dame hit into five double-plays in the first game. NDC grounded into three, lined into one and had a runner pegged in a rundown after a fly out. … Notre Dame hit into three more double-plays in the second game. For the season, the Falcons have now hit into 25 twin kills, while turning 21 of their own.