WINCHESTER, Va. – No. 14/14 Shenandoah University tied the school record for USA South Conference baseball victories in a season with an 8-3 win over Ferrum College Sunday afternoon in the conference finale for both teams.

Junior Kevin Brashears powered the Hornets (28-6, 8-4 USA South) to the win with a school-record-tying three home runs.

Brashears homered in his first three at-bats and finished the day 4 for 5 with five runs batted in as his career day ties him with David Divine '08 and Geoff Williams '00 for most home runs in a game. Divine pulled the trick in his junior year against Roanoke while Williams originally set the mark against Columbia Union in 1998.

The win for SU, combined with N.C. Wesleyan's victory at Averett, means that the Hornets finish tied for second in the league. Shenandoah loses the second-seed to Methodist based on the second tie-breaker (results against higher seeded teams) and will play Averett at 1:00 Thursday in a first round game.

Ferrum (18-11, 5-7) ties for fifth in the league with AU and wins the tie-breaker over the Cougars based on head-to-head results. The Panthers will open tournament play with a 9:30 a.m. matchup against No. 4 CNU.

Sunday, FC scored two runs on two hits and one walk in the top of the first, but the lead ended up lasting only 13 pitches.

Brashears, in his leadoff spot, took the first pitch from Panthers starter Tyler Easterly (2-3) deep to right to cut the deficit in half.

A Jon Holcomb walk and a Jesse Henry single followed, setting up Greg Van Sickler with an RBI opportunity and Van Sickler delivered with a sacrifice fly to deep center to tie it at 2-2.

One inning later, Chris Ferry led off with a single to right before Adam Delauter gave Shenandoah the lead for good by driving Ferry home with a double into the left-center gap.

That brought Brashears to the plate, and he crushed an Easterly offering over the leftfield fence to put the Hornets up 5-2.

Easterly would last three more batters until exiting following a Van Sickler single to center. He allowed five runs on six hits and two walks in 1 2/3.

After the shaky first inning, SU starter Vince Claudio (2-0) settled down and allowed his defense to do its work. The Hornets turned three double plays for the freshman (four overall) including an inning-ending one in the second when Ferrum had the bases loaded.

Claudio scattered three runs on six hits and four walks. He struck out five before turning it over to Brian Fream and then Kyle Scallion to record the final four outs.

Scallion was the recipient of the final twin-killing and the 6-4-3 ended the contest.

Brashears had his final home run in the third, hitting this one to left center off of reliever Michael Baskeyfield.

The Panthers final run came on a solo HR by first baseman Justin Franklin.

Shenandoah returns to non-conference play with a Monday game at Eastern Mennonite.

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