PIKEVILLE, Ky. -- A rare, run-rule win in Mid-South Conference play was tallied by the University of Pikeville baseball team as it beat Shawnee State (Ohio) 13-3 in seven innings on Thursday afternoon at Johnnie LeMaster Field.

The game was scheduled for a full nine innings, but came to an early close as the Bears built a 10-run lead on Jay Vincent's RBI single in the seventh that served as the walk-off hit.

It was part of a two-hit day for Vincent who also drove in a game-high three runs from the designated hitter position. Luke Lubiniecki was hot as well, going 3-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, and Nelson Muniz added the game's only triple as UPIKE (16-11, 2-2 MSC) outhit Shawnee 15-5 and played error free in the field.

Bruce Bell moved to 3-1 on the season with the win as he fanned eight batters while allowing three runs on just four hits in 5 1/3 innings. Bell was replaced after tallying one out in the sixth as control started to wane at the 100-pitch mark, leading to five walks.

Entering with a 12-3 lead, Max Hall finished out the final 1 2/3 innings in which he allowed just one hit and struck out two batters.

Kyle Wisniewski, who entered as SSU's ace with a 2-1 record, took the loss after allowing 10 runs, all earned, on 10 hits with just three strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings. He left the game with his team down 10-3 in the bottom of the fourth,

It was that fourth frame that put UPIKE in the driver's seat as it scored eight runs on seven hits after entering the inning down 3-2. Travis Haen's two-run single put the Bears in the lead for good, followed by runs continuing to pour in on an Alec Barba single, two-RBI single by Vincent, two-RBI double by Jorge Perez and Lubiniecki driing in the final run with a single to center.

Now up 10-3, UPIKE added two more runs in the fifth on wild pitches before bringing the game to an end with Vincent's rip to centerfield in the bottom of the seventh.

UPIKE initially took a 2-0 lead in the second inning when a walk and hit batter by Wisniewski allowed back-to-back singles to do damage. SSU (11-12, 0-4 MSC) got a run back in the third despite Bell tallying three straight strikeouts before a passed ball allowed the batter to reach first safely to extend the inning. Shawnee then took its only lead in the fourth as two runners scored on fielder's choice hits.

Levi Jones was the only SSU player to register multiple hits as he went 2-for-4 with a double and RBI.   

-UPIKE-