Box Score

DINWIDDIE, Va. - Freshman Connor Johnson threw six shutout innings and junior catcher Steven Zimmerman, Jr. hit a three-run homer to break the game open in the third inning as East Stroudsburg University posted an 11-2 win over Shepherd in a match-up of 2016 NCAA Division II Tournament teams on Sunday afternoon.

Johnson allowed just three hits, struck out five and walked four and the Warriors (5-3) scored one in the first, four in the third and six in the fourth to take an 11-0 lead through 3.5 innings.

ESU had 14 hits, including three-hit games by junior 3B Laine Renaud (3-for-5, double, RBI, 2 runs) and freshman OF Carson Freeman (3-for-5, 3 doubles, 2 RBI, run), who had two home runs in a 9-3 win vs. Philadelphia U in the first game of ESU's sweep on Saturday.

All 11 ESU runs were scored with two outs, and the final 10 were unearned after a Shepherd error in both the third and fourth innings. The Warriors had three hits after the second out was made in each of those frames.

Redshirt senior 1B Dylan Tamecki, who homered three times in a 21-8 win vs. Phila U in the nightcap Saturday, had an RBI single to put the Warriors ahead 1-0 in the top of the first after senior OF Ian Allen (0-for-3, walk, HBP, 3 runs) drew a two-out walk and stole second, his 72nd career stolen base, extending his school record.

In the third, redshirt freshman OF Tom Nuneviller (2-for-5, run) had a one-out single and stole second, and Allen reached on an error and stole second, to put runners on second and third before Zimmerman cleared the bases with a three-run homer - the 10th of his career, after hitting nine during an All-PSAC East second team campaign as a sophomore.

Renaud singled and scored on an RBI double by Freeman to extend the lead to 5-0 through three innings.

In the fourth, Allen drew a one-out walk, Allen was hit by a pitch and both scored as Tamecki reached on an error. Shepherd should have been out of the inning with a strikeout, but Zimmerman reached on a wild pitch and the Warriors put together three straight hits - an RBI single by Renaud, an RBI double by Freeman and a two-RBI single by junior OF Charles Edwards (2-for-5, 2 RBI) - to lead 11-0.

Johnson was relieved after his six innings by junior Nick DiEva, who notched the three-inning save (2 unearned runs, 3 hits, 4 strikeouts, 2 walks) as Shepherd scored unearned runs in both the seventh and eighth innings.

John Bentley, who had a 8-1 record in 12 starts for Shepherd last season, threw the first 4.0 innings (11 runs, 1 earned, 9 hits, 9 strikeouts, 2 walks). Ryan Pansch, first team All-WVIAC as a freshman in 2013, threw the final 5.0 innings (0 runs, 5 hits, 5 strikeouts, 0 walks).

Shepherd has played in the NCAA DII Tournament in three of the last five seasons (2012, 2014, 2016) while ESU has qualified in three of the last six years (2011, 2013, 2016).

ESU departs Dinwiddie with a 3-1 mark this weekend following a 9-4 loss vs. Slippery Rock on Friday and a sweep vs. Philadelphia U on Saturday.

The Warriors hit .345 with 26 extra-base hits (17 doubles, 1 triple, 8 home runs) among their 45 hits. Allen was 8-for-16 with 4 doubles, a triple, a home run, 9 RBI and 7 runs and Tamecki was 5-for-16 with three home runs, 10 RBI and 4 runs in the middle of the lineup.

Seven Warriors had at least four hits on the weekend - Allen, Tamecki, Nuneviller (5-for-9, 2 doubles, RBI, 4 runs), Renaud (6-for-13, 4 doubles, 2 RBI, 4 runs), Edwards (6-for-14, 2 doubles, 4 RBI, 4 runs), Freeman (6-for-16, 3 doubles, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 5 runs) and Young (4-for-16, 4 walks, 2 RBI, 6 runs).

Allen added a strong start in Saturday's opener, going 6.0 innings (3 runs, 6 hits, 11 strikeouts, 0 walks) in the 9-3 win vs. Philadelphia U to improve to 10-2 on the mound in 20 career starts.