Despite a dominant outing from Shepherd, Kent State University–Tuscarawas came up short against Penn State DuBois on March 21, falling in a low-scoring contest.

Shepherd was electric in the circle, striking out 11 batters over seven innings while allowing just four runs on seven hits and issuing no walks. However, defensive miscues and timely hitting by Penn State DuBois proved costly.

Penn State DuBois opened the scoring in the first inning, capitalizing on an error to take an early lead. They extended their advantage in the third, highlighted by a two-run home run and an RBI double to make it 4–0.

Tuscarawas struggled to generate offense, with Cress, Lillis, Edwards, Reyes, Lemmel, and Shepherd each recording one hit. The team was unable to string together enough momentum to overcome the early deficit.

Penn State DuBois played a clean game defensively, turning a double play and committing no errors. #15 led the offense with two RBIs, while #21 added a pair of hits to pace the lineup. Ultimately, strong pitching from Shepherd wasn't enough, as Tuscarawas couldn't find the timely hits needed to close the gap.