True Freshman Madelyne Ruffner sets up to throw a softball, later setting Shepherd University's softball pitching record. Photo Courtesy of Shepherd Athletics

SPORTS RECAP: Men’s/Women’s Tennis and Softball Team Head South to Florida and South Carolina

While on Spring Break, there were multiple sporting events that involved a lot of traveling for the Shepherd Rams. On March 10, the Men and Women’s Tennis team traveled to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina to compete in the PTR Spring Tennis Festival. The Softball team traveled to Winter Haven, Florida on March 11 to compete in The Spring Games as the Baseball team traveled to East Stroudsburg University to play against the Warriors. The Rams Baseball team also hosted the Warriors on March 16. Finally, the Softball team played away against both the Shippensburg University Raiders and Warriors. 

Baseball 

On March 15, the Baseball team traveled to face off against the East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania, losing two games against the Warriors. On March 16, the Rams hosted the Warriors in Shepherdstown only to lose again twice. 

Game One – March 15

Both teams started off slow until the Rams put up three points in the third inning. However, East Stroudsburg didn’t take that lightly as in the fourth quarter they put four points on the board and two in the fifth. The Rams were defeated by the Warriors 4-6. 

Freshman Catcher Collin Snyder, Senior outfielder Corey Jamison and Junior Catcher Brayden Meskill all had two hits each while at the plate, with Snyder having an RBI double in which he led the Rams in RBI, including five put-outs. 

Redshirt Junior Eli Lam led the Rams with three strikeouts. 

Junior infielder Aidan Greaney had four put-outs. 

Game Two – March 15

The Rams faced the Warriors again where it was a blowout; a 0-6 defeat. 

Senior pitcher Chris Chaney and Redshirt sophomore pitcher Oliver Leonard both had two strikeouts each. 

Junior infielder Aidan Greaney had six put-outs. 

Game One – March 16

Even with the homefield advantage, the Rams still struggled to win as they lost against the East Stroudsbourg Warriors 7-4. 

Snyder hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning. 

Freshman pitcher Michael Burnley led the Rams with six strikeouts at the mound. 

Snyder and Greaney both had six put-outs each. 

Game Two – March 16

The Rams played against the Warriors again with a 2-1 lead by the end of the third inning, until East Stroudsburg tied in the fourth, 4-4 and in the fifth, the Warriors put up three points and by the end of the seventh, Shepherd lost 10-8. 

Junior shortstop Greg Borges and Senior outfielder Corey Jamison both hit home runs, with Jameson leading the Rams with two runs. 

Grad-student pitcher Tanner Dixon led the Rams with three strikeouts. 

Meskill led the Rams with eight put-outs. 

Game One – March 22

On Friday, the Rams hosted Mansfield University in Shepherdstown, playing a two-game series where the rams clinched a 5-4 win. 

In the third inning, the Rams added three runs with a two-run single by Snyder, who also led the Rams with 10 put-outs. 

Redshirt Junior pitcher Trevor Sharp led the Rams with five strikeouts. 

Game Two – March 22

The second game was low-scoring match until the Mansfield’s Mountaineers capped off the seventh inning with six points. At the end, the Rams lost 1-7. 

Junior shortstop Greg Borges was the only Ram to score as Redshirt Junior outfielder Sam Daggers batted Borges to home plate. 

Redshirt Freshman pitcher Daniel Quintana led the Rams with five strikeouts. 

Meskill led the Rams with eight put-outs. 

Men’s Tennis 

On March 3, the Men’s Tennis team traveled to Hilton Head Island in South Carolina to compete in the PTR Spring Tennis Festival. They played a total of four matches, ending their week with a 2-2 record. 

Match 1- March 10

In the first match, they faced #46 nationally ranked Tusculum University. The Rams ended up losing 7-0. However, one double’s match stood out where Seniors Nicholas Espinoza and Arka Ganguly put up a good fight against the Pioneers, losing 7-5. 

Singles competition 

Anton Krondell (TU) def. Arka Ganguly (SHEP) 6-2, 6-2 

Will Gee (TU) def. Nick Espinoza (SHEP) 6-1, 6-1 

Ivan Ivars (TU) def. Jeremy Williams (SHEP) 6-0, 6-3 

Yuki Ikeda (TU) def. Hamilton Hall (SHEP) 6-0, 6-0 

Sarthak Sharma (TU) def. Khalid Alsadek (SHEP) 6-0, 6-0 

JP Knell (TU) def. Jaden Sheely (SHEP) 6-0, 6-0 

Doubles competition 

  1. Verhaar/van Gorkom (TU) def. Ganguly/Espinoza (SHEP) 7-5
  2. Krondell/Knell (TU) def. Telschow/Taylor (SHEP) 6-1
  3. Subanovic/Velasquez Quintana (TU) def. Hall/Williams (SHEP) 6-0

Match Two- March 13 

The Men showed great improvement from Sunday’s lost against Tusculum and ended up defeating Webster University 7-0. 

 Alsadek posted a 6-1, 6-0 win against Webester while Ganguly and Espinoza teamed up for a 6-0 win in number one doubles. 

Singles competition 

Ganguly (SHEP) def. Ethan Foucheaux (WU) 7-6, (7-4), 6-3 

Espinoza (SHEP) def. Matthew Birchmeier (WU) 6-1, 4-6, 10-7 

Telschow (SHEP) def. Carson Fisher (WU) 6-1, 3-6, 14-12 

Williams (SHEP) def. Robert McDaniel (WU) 6-3, 5-7, 10-7 

Hall (SHEP) def. Tyler Gonzales (WU)  4-6, 6-3, 10-7 

Alsadek (SHEP) def. Noah Thomas (WU) 6-1, 6-0 

Doubles competition 

  1. Genguly/Espinoza (SHEP) def. Birchmeier/Fisher (WU) 6-0
  2. Telschow/ Taylor (SHEP) def. Foucheaux/Gonzales (WU) 6-2
  3. Hall/Williams (SHEP) def. McDaniel/Forienza (WU) 6-2

Match Three – March 14 

The Rams faced Catholic University of America in a back-and-forth competition till Catholic came up with a close 4-3 win. 

Espinoza, Williams ,and Alsadek were the three Rams that put their wins up on the board for Shepherd. Espinoza and Ganguly teamed up for a doubles win. 

Singles competition 
James Earwood (CU) def. Ganguly (SHEP) 7-6, 4-1, DNF 
Espinoza (SHEP) def. Diego Romo (CU) 6-1, 6-1 
Henry Ogden (CU) def. Telschow (SHEP) 6-3, 1-6, 10-7 
Charles Robbins (CU) def. Williams (SHEP) 6-0, 5-7, 10-8 
Drew Adrianapolis (CU) def. Hall (SHEP) 6-3, 6-4 
Alsadek (SHEP) def. Nathaniel Barish (CU) 6-4, unfinished 
 
Doubles competition 
1. Ganguly/Espinoza (SHEP) def. Earwood/Romo (CU) 6-3 
2. Henry/Robbins (CU) def. Telschow/Taylor (SHEP) 6-1 
3. Ramos-Platt/Van Nostrand (CU) def. Hall/Williams (SHEP) 6-3 

Match Four – March 14 

After facing Catholic, the Rams had one final matchup against Messiah University. Once again, it was a very back-and-forth matchup between the two but, it was Shepherd that ended up claiming the 4-3 win.  

Taylor, Ganguly, Espinoza, and Williams were the Rams that won their matchups and contributed to the final score.  

Senior Arka Ganguly and Senior Nicholas Espinoza won their doubles match. 

Singles 
1. Ganguly (SHEP) def. Chase Wilson (MES) 6-1, 6-1 
2. Espinoza (SHEP) def. Michael Niemi (MES) 6-1, 6-1 
3. Tim Sheaffer (MES) def. Telschow (SHEP) 6-3, 6-4 
4. Williams (SHEP) def. Carl Anderson (MES) 6-2, 6-2 
5. Taylor (SHEP) def. Luke Risser (MES) 6-4, 6-3 
6. Eli Noll (MES) def. Hall (SHEP) 6-2, 6-2 
 
Doubles 
1. Ganguly /Espinoza (SU) def. Chase Wilson / Tim Sheaffer (MES) 8-1 
2. Michael Niemi / Carl Anderson (MES) def. Telschow/Taylor (SU) 8-5 
3. Luke Risser / Eli Noll (MES) def. Williams/Hall (SU) 8-6 

Women’s Tennis 

On March 3, the Women’s Tennis team also traveled to Hilton Head Island to compete in the PTR Spring Tennis Festival. There, the Women went 2-2 alongside the men- competing against teams like Webster University, Georgetown College (Ky), Catholic University, and nationally ranked Tusculum University. 

Match One – March 10

The Lady Rams were defeated 0-7 against Tusculum. 

Senior Marketa Beladova was the only Rams player to put up points during the singles match, losing 6-1, 6-3. 

Singles competition 

Yiva Frafjord Landa (TU) def. Marketa Beladova (SHEP) 6-1, 6-3 

Paulina Loretz (TU) def. Ximena Bolanos Tellez (SHEP) 6-0, 6-0 

Elodia Baechler (TU) def. Isabella Mascari (SHEP) 6-0, 6-0 

Thilda Danielsson (TU) def. Allison Cronk (SHEP) 6-0, 6-0 

Johanna Palacio (TU) def. Kayda Shives (SHEP) 6-0, 6-0 

Johanna Selde (CSU) def. Briana Caceda (SHEP) 6-0, 6-0 

Doubles competition 

  1. Valentina Loretz/Baechler (TU) def. Baladova/Tellez (SHEP) 6-3
  2. Landa/P. Loretz (TU) def.Mascari/Cronk (SHEP) 6-0
  3. Thilda Danielsson/Selde (TU) def. Shives/Caceda (SHEP) 6-1

Match Two – March 13 

The Lady Rams defeated Webster University’s Gorloks 6-1, showing lots of improvement from the previous match. 

Beladova, Bolanos, Macari, Cronk, and Shives won their singles matches.  

Mascari/Cronk and Shives/Caceda won their doubles as well. 

Singles competition 

Beladova (SHEP) def. Kylie Chitwood (WU) 6-0, 6-0 

Bolanos Tellez (SHEP) def. Bailey Higgins (WU) 6-4, 6-4 

Mascari (SHEP) def. Maddie Mena (WU) 6-2, 6-2 

Cronk (SHEP) def. Evie Schuetz (WU) 6-3, 6-3 

Shives (SHEP) def. Navone Armstrong (WU) 6-0, 6-0 

Carlie Barban (WU) def. Caceda (SHEP) 6-2, 6-3 

Doubles competition 

Higgins/Mena (WU) def. Beladova/Bolanos Tellez (SHEP) 7-5 

Mascari/Cronk (SHEP) def. Chitwood/Armstrong (WU) 6-1 

Shives/Caceda (SHEP) def. Barban/Daughtry (WU) 6-2 

Match Three – March 13 

The Ladies had another match on the same day against Georgetown College (Ky). The ladies had suffered a crushing defeat as they lost 1-6 with Beladova being the only Lady Ram to put the score on the board. 

Singles competition 
Bailee Martin (GC) def. Beladova (SHEP) 6-2, 6-2 
Bolanos Tellez (SHEP) def. Sam Spady (GC) 6-1, 6-4 
Maddie Gil (GC) def. Mascari (SHEP) 4-6, 6-1, 10-8 
Lydia Prince (GC) def. Cronk (SHEP) 6-0, 6-3 
Abby Moss (GC) def. Shives (SHEP) 7-5, 6-0 
Anna White (GC) def. Vaughan (SHEP) 6-0, 6-0 
 
Doubles competition 
1. Beladova/Bolanos Tellez (SHEP) def. Martin/Spady (GC) 6-3 
2. Krondell/Knell (GC) def. Mascari/Cronk (SHEP) 6-2 
3. Moss/Hana Dixon (GC) def. Shives/Caceda (SHEP) 6-1 

Match Four – March 14  

The ladies got the upper hand the next day, ending their Hilton Head run by beating Catholic University 6-1. 

Beladova, Bolanos Tellez, Macari, Cronk, and Shives won their singles matches. 

Beladova/Bolanos won their doubles match and Mascari/Cronk won their doubles too. 

Singles competition 
Beladova (SHEP) def. Jane Krukiel (WU) 6-0, 6-0 
Bolanos Tellez (SHEP) def. Bailey Higgins (WU) 6-0, 6-1 
Mascari (SHEP) def. Paige Brightwell (CU) 6-0, 6-1 
Cronk (SHEP) def. Mairead O’Hara (CU) 6-1, 2-6, 10-2 
Shives (SHEP) def. Marissa Stambaugh (CU) 6-3, 6-2 
Alyson Morris (CU) def. Caceda (SHEP) 6-2, 6-3 
 
Doubles competition 
Beladova/Bolanos Tellez (SHEP) def. O’Hara/ Ava Niggemeier (CU) def. 6-1 
Mascari/Cronk (SHEP) def. Brightwell/Meaghan Laniewski (CU) 7-5 
Krukiel/Stambaugh (CU) def. Shives/Caceda (SHEP) 6-1 

Match Five – March 21 

The Women’s Tennis team traveled to Bowie, Maryland to face off against Bowie State University, securing a 6-1 win under their belt. 

Senior Marketa Beladova posted a 6-0 win in her singles match. 

Mascari and Cronk won their singles matches and they both teamed up in the doubles where they received a 6-3 win over the Bulldogs. 

Singles competition 

Beladova (SHEP) def. Abner Dickson (BSU) 6-0, 6-0 

Afruica Gentle (BSU) def. Bolanos Tellez (SHEP) 6-3, 6-1 

Mascari (SHEP) def. Kayla Lowery (BSU) 6-3, 6-0 

Cronk (SHEP) def. Denail Rose (BSU) 6-4, 6-0 

Shives (SHEP) wins by default 

Caceda (SHEP) wins by default 

Doubles competition 

Gentle/Dickson (BSU) def. Beladova/Bolanos Tellez (SHEP) 6-1 

Mascari/Cronk (SHEP) def. Lowery/Rose (BSU) 6-3 

Shives/Caceda (SHEP) win by default 

Softball 

On March 11, the Softball team traveled to Winter Haven Florida to compete in the Spring Games. There, the Rams competed against 10 teams throughout the week finishing with a record of 6-4. Back in West Virginia, the ladies faced Shippensburg University home in Shepherdstown. Three days later on Tuesday, they traveled to Pennsylvania to play against East Stroudsburg University. 

Game One – March 11 

In the first game, the Lady Rams faced off against Bentley University. There, they were able to put up three points in the third inning, managing to keep the Falcons off the board, winning 3-0. 

Freshman Pinch Hitter Trynda Mantz was able to hit a home run counting for all the runs batted in leading the Rams with three. Mantz also led the Rams with 13 put outs. 

Freshman Pitcher Madelayne Ruffner had an outstanding performance at the mound with 11 strikeouts. 

Game Two – March 11  

In game two, the Rams continued their winning streak by beating Quincy University 3-0. The Rams shut the Hawks out and gave an outstanding performance. With eight more games ahead, it gave many hopes for the ladies during their time in Florida. 

Grad-Student Catcher Alex Mantz led the Rams with two hits. 

 Mantz led the Rams with two runs batted in.

Senior Pitcher Hannah Ruffner took this game at the mound and had five strikeouts. 

Freshman First Baseman Brenna Collis owned first base by leading the Rams with eight putouts. 

Game One – March 12  

The Rams faced off against Saint Michael’s College. There, it was a struggle for the ladies as they couldn’t score against the Knights. In the end, the final score was a 0-3 defeat for the Rams.

Mantz led the Rams with one strikeout. Mantz also had three put outs. 

Collis led the Rams with four putouts. 

Game Two – March 12  

The same day, the Rams faced off against Lewis University. It was a struggle for the Rams as they couldn’t put up points until the seventh inning. At the end, it was a hard fight for the Ladies but, it was the Flyers that ended up securing the win, handing the Rams a 3-4 loss.

Sophomore Catcher Camdyn Noland hit a home run grand slam, putting the three points on the board for the Rams. Noland also led the Rams with three runs batted in. 

Sophomore Pitcher Abby McBride led the Rams with one strikeout. 

Collis led the Rams with seven put outs. 

Game One – March 13  

The Rams faced off against Southern Connecticut State University. With the ladies starting off strong and maintaining a 2-0 lead throughout four innings, the Owls put three points on the board in the fifth and two in the sixth, handing the Rams a 2-5 defeat

Junior Outfielder Lauren Alt led the Rams with two runs batted in. 

Senior Pitcher Hannah Ruffner had 3 strikeouts throughout the game. 

Freshman First Baseman Brenna Collis led the Rams with 11 put outs. 

Game Two – March 13

With a three-game losing streak occurring, it was time for the Rams to flip it around. This game, the ladies faced off against Northwood University on Wednesday the 13th. It was a very quiet game until the last inning when Shepherd put up three points in time to beat the Timberwolves 3-1. 

Alt and A. Mantz led the Rams with two hits each.  

 Ruffner had another amazing game with 10 strikeouts.

Freshman Catcher Madelyn Chambers led the Rams with 10 put outs. 

Game One – March 15 

On Friday the 15, Shepherd played against the University of New Haven. There, the Rams shut out the Chargers and defeated them 6-0. It was a very promising game for the ladies as they had only three games left in the week. 

Noland led the Rams with three hits and with three runs batted in. 

 Mantz led the Rams with four strikeouts of the evening.

Noland, Senior Outfielder Isabella Forte, and Collis led the Rams, and all had four putouts each.  

Game Two – March 15 

With the Lady Rams continuing their win streak, they faced off against Saint Anselm College. The ladies started off strong with putting up three points on the board in the first inning. They kept their lead extended as they put two more in the fourth and by the end of the game the final score was 5-2 in the Rams’ favor. 

 Mantz led the Rams with two hits and was also tied with M. Ruffner of leading the Rams with two runs batted in.

 Ruffner led the Rams with six strikeouts.

 Chambers led the Rams with six put outs.

Game One – March 16 

At this point, the Ladies are on a hot streak acquiring three wins in a row and made it four by beating Northern State University on Saturday. The Rams conquered the fourth and fifth innings by putting two points in both innings. The Rams beat the Wolves 6-2 and continued their win streak. 

 Mantz led the Rams with three hits.

Collis led the Rams with two runs batted in. 

True Freshman Madelayne Ruffner broke the school record and led the Rams to victory by having 16 strikeouts at the pitcher’s mound.

Game Two – March 16 

In the final game of the Spring Games, the Rams faced off against Hillsdale College. Throughout the entire game, it was back and forth on the scoreboard. By the end of the fourth inning, the score was tied 6-6, but that was until the Chargers scored, making the Rams lose 6-7 

Junior Second Baseman Lauren Moore led the Rams with three hits and two runs batted in. 

 Ruffner led the Rams with two strikeouts.

Collis led the Rams with nine put outs. 

Game One – March 19 

The Lady Rams stayed home to host a double-header against Shippensburg University. The Rams beat the Raiders 3-2. 

Junior Infielder Lexi Clatterbuck and Moore led the Rams with two hits each. 

 Mantz led the Rams with two runs batted in. Mantz also hit a homerun.

 Ruffner had 10 strikeouts.

Collis led the Rams with five put-outs. 

Game Two – March 19 

In game two, the Rams took a detrimental loss to Shippensburg University. The final score was 5-14. 

Noland hit a home run leading her with two hits and four runs batted in. 

 Mantz led the Rams with one strikeout.

Collis led the Rams with eight put-outs. 

Game One – March 22 

On Friday, the Softball team traveled to Pennsylvania to face off against a double header with East Stroudsburg University. It was a very low-scoring game between each team but, in game one, the Rams were defeated 0-1 by the Warriors.

 Ruffner had 11 strikeouts for the Rams.

Chambers led the Rams with 12 put-outs. 

Game Two – March 22 

In the second game, the Rams finally put points up on the board but still lost 1-2 against the Warriors.

Forte and Collis led the Rams with two hits each. Forte was the only Ram to make it home. 

 Ruffner led the Rams with five strikeouts.

Mantz led the Rams with eight put-outs.

Women’s Lacrosse 

On March 12, the Women’s Lacrosse team traveled to Pennsylvania to face off against Indiana University. The following week, they traveled back to Pennsylvania to face off against Bloomsburg University and on Saturday the 23rd the Rams stayed home to face off against Kutztown University. 

Game One – March 12 

On Tuesday, the Rams traveled to Pennsylvania to face off against Indiana University’s (IUP) Crimson Hawks. It was a very high scoring game as both teams had 26 points combined. In the end, it was Shepherd who won 14-12, making it the first time the Women’s Lacrosse won against IUP. 

It was an outstanding performance for Junior Midfielder Katie Paredes as she had a game-high of four goals. Paredes also had two assists and three ground balls, making her the PSAC East Athlete of the Week. 

Sophomore Goalkeeper Destiny Rockwell saved nine goals for the Rams. 

Game Two- March 20 

The Rams traveled to Pennsylvania to face off against Bloomsburg University. With a tough matchup ahead of them, the Rams lost to the Huskies 8-15. 

Paredes and Junior Attacker Kelsey King tied for the most points scored, both having two each. 

Rockwell made nine saves. 

Game Three – March 23 

On Saturday, the Rams hosted Kutztown University here in Shepherdstown. Unfortunately, even with the home-field advantage, the Rams lost horribly to the Golden Bears 6-21. 

Sophomore Attacker Holly Poe led the Rams with two goals. 

Rockwell had nine saves for the Rams. 

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