Box Scores
W 4-0
L 3-1

Photo Gallery

EAST STROUDSBURG - Redshirt senior Matt Festa set East Stroudsburg University's season wins record, improving to 9-0 in nine starts, with a 4-0, four-hit shutout in the opener as the No. 14-ranked Warriors split a PSAC East baseball doubleheader vs. Lock Haven on Friday afternoon at Mitterling Field.

ESU (28-10, 11-7) supported Festa with four runs spanning the third through fifth innings as he broke the school record of eight wins set by Ryan Lubreski (8-1) during the 2013 PSAC championship season.

Lock Haven (17-20, 6-12) won the second game, 3-1, behind a four-hitter from Mike Anthony.

Festa struck out eight and walked one in his fifth straight complete game, all vs. PSAC East opponents, and second shutout of the season. He has a 1.71 ERA, 65 strikeouts, 18 walks and 46 hits allowed in 58.0 innings this season - and a 1.80 ERA, 36 strikeouts, 13 walks and 27 hits allowed in 35.0 innings vs. the PSAC East over the last five weekends.

Festa set ESU's career wins record last Friday with a 6-2 victory at Shippensburg. He improves to 21-5 in 29 career starts in his three seasons with the Warriors.

The two schools finish the four-game series on Saturday at Lock Haven.

GAME 1 - W 4-0

Festa allowed just four hits, all singles, and just two singles that left the infield. His first shutout of the season was a 13-0 win at Kutztown on March 24.

The Warriors stranded a one-out double by redshirt senior 1B Matt Walewski in the second inning, but got on the board in the third as sophomore catcher Steven Zimmerman, Jr. singled, stole second, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a one-out RBI single by redshirt junior OF Robert Bennie.

Festa stranded the tying run at third after a walk, infield single and error in the top of the fourth inning, and the Warriors added to their lead with two runs in the bottom half.

Walewski, Rishel and redshirt junior OF Casey Saverio (RBI) strung together one-out singles, and Rishel scored on a sacrifice fly by Zimmerman to make it 3-0.

A two-out solo home run by redshirt senior 3B Drew Hercik, his fifth of the season and the 14th of his career, gave ESU a 4-0 lead in the fifth.

Festa yielded a pair of one-out singles in the sixth for LHU's only two hits that reached the outfield. He got a strikeout to end the threat, and threw a 1-2-3 seventh to seal the shutout.

Parker Watson (6.0 IP, 4 runs, 8 hits, 4 strikeouts, 0 walks) went the distance on the mound for Lock Haven.

Walewski and Rishel both had two of ESU's eight hits.

GAME 2 - L 3-1

Lock Haven scored two runs (one earned) in the first inning and held off a couple of Warriors rallies late in the game.

Anthony improved to 5-2 on the season for LHU, allowing one run on four hits with five strikeouts and two walks.

Junior Tyler Eckman (4-4) also threw a complete game for ESU, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits with eight strikeouts and one walk.

LHU got on the board early as Sam Kysor doubled, moved to third on a fly ball to right and scored on an RBI single by Nick Stotler, who advanced on an error. Ethan Moore followed with an RBI single to plate Stotler from second before Eckman got a strikeout and groundout to get out of the inning.

ESU managed just one hit off Anthony until the fifth, when Saverio drew a leadoff walk, advanced to third on redshirt junior 2B Jay Young's one-out single and scored on a fielders choice by Bennie.

ESU put the tying run in scoring position in the sixth as Hercik had a one-out single and advanced on a wild pitch, but Anthony got out of the jam on a groundout and strikeout.

Jimmy Webb extended the LHU lead to 3-1 in the seventh with a one-out solo homer.

Saverio had an infield single to start the bottom of the seventh and get the tying run to the plate, but the Warriors couldn't get to Anthony again.

Young was 2-for-3 for two of ESU's four hits. Stotler was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run to pace LHU.


GAME NOTES
* ESU entered the week ranked 7th in DII in runs per game (9.5), 3rd in batting (.358), 2nd in on-base percentage (.462) and 7th in slugging percentage (.544).
* The Warriors had 28 hits, their most since at least 2003, in a 17-3 win vs. USciences on Tuesday.

* ESU had 12 hits Friday with Walewski, Saverio, Rishel, Young and Hercik collecting two hits each.
* Hercik's 14 career home runs are tied for 6th in school history.