Trailing by one point with just two bouts remaining, Pitt-Johnstown All-Americans Dakoda Rodgers (197 lbs.) and Isaiah Vance (285 lbs.) stepped-up with major decision wins to lift the No. 17 Mountain Cat wrestlers to a 24-17 victory at No. 18 Ashland (OH), Sunday afternoon in Ashland, Ohio.  The Mountain Cats improved to 2-1.
 
The Mountain Cats were off and running when 10^th-ranked Trevon Gray's pinned 17^th-ranked Luke Acuna at 6:36 at 124 lbs., before Tyson Cook earned a 13-0 major decision shutout over Nick Barber at 133 lbs. to make it 10-0 to start.
 
After No. 16 Mason Myers increased the Mountain Cats' lead to 13-0 with a 5-0 win over Brock Durbin at 141 lbs., Ashland got on the scoreboard at 149 lbs. when 15^th-ranked Hayden Kuhn dealt Chad Ozias a 17-3 major decision setback.
 
At 157 lbs., Pitt-Johnstown's Cooper Warshel got a takedown one minute into overtime to defeat Lance Overmyer, 6-3, and get three of those points back and put the Mountain Cats on top, 16-4.
 
The Eagles didn't go away and answered with three straight wins, including a 15-0 technical fall from #12 Nate Barrett at 165 lbs. and major decisions from No. 9 Sevi Garza at 174 lbs. and Peyton Lemon at 184 lbs. wins to go in front 17-16 with two bouts remaining.
 
However, Rodgers and Vance responded with big wins to erase the deficit and give the Mountain Cats to the dual meet victory.  At 197 lbs., Rodgers, ranked sixth nationally, scored an 11-1 major decision victory over Kaine Morris to put Pitt-Johnstown in the lead for good, and Vance, ranked fifth, closed it out with an 8-0 major decision over Wyatt Bailey.
 
With the loss, Ashland is now 0-1.
 
The Mountain Cats go to the Midwest Classic in Indianapolis on Dec. 14-15, before breaking for the holiday season.  After visiting Pitt on Jan. 3, Pitt-Johnstown will return to the Sports Center on Jan. 4 to host a Quad Match with Lake Erie (OH), UNC-Pembroke, and Grand Valley State (MI).