Box Scores
W 14-6 /
L 6-5
TAKOMA PARK, Md. - Senior outfielder Kevin Thompson went 3-for-7 with two home runs, including a grand slam, and set the school record for career hit by pitches as East Stroudsburg University split a non-conference baseball doubleheader at Columbia Union on Wednesday.
Thompson capped a 14-6 win in the first game with his grand slam in the seventh inning, then tied game two at 5-5 with a solo shot with two outs in the top of the seventh. Columbia Union scored in the bottom half to come away with a 6-5 win.
Thompson was one of six ESU (13-11) players to collect two hits in the opener, going 2-for-4 with four RBI and four runs scored. He was hit by a pitch for the 28th time in his career in the sixth inning, breaking the record he shared with Scott Roth (1997-2000). Thompson has been hit by 11 pitches this year, two shy of the school record.
Freshman OF Carey Zimmerman, senior OF Mike Bortz, senior 3B Mark Angelo, junior DH John Pisker and junior C Brendan O'Connor also had two hits each in game one as ESU pounded Columbia Union pitching for 14 runs on 14 hits.
Angelo hit his second home run of the season in the first inning, a three-run shot after Zimmerman and Bortz singled to start the game. O'Connor singled and scored in the second inning and Pisker and freshman SS Evan Gallagher collected RBI singles in the third as ESU opened a 6-0 lead.
Thompson scored runs in each of the last three innings when the Warriors put eight runs on the board. He singled and scored on an double by Pisker in the fifth, singled and scored on a double by O'Connor in the sixth, and hit his grand slam in the seventh to put the Warriors ahead 14-4.
Senior Bill Hezel went 6.0 innings (four runs, five strikeouts) in his first start of the season and improved to 2-1 on the mound.
In the nightcap, Zsenak hit the Warriors' second grand slam of the day in the third inning to tie the game after Columbia Union had taken a 4-0 lead. Zsenak moved into a tie for 10th in school history with his 10th career home run and has four homers this season, tied with Thompson for the team lead.
Columbia Union scored a run in the fourth to go ahead 5-4 and maintained the lead until Thompson went deep with the Warriors down to their last out in the seventh. The Pioneers managed a single, sacrifice bunt and another base hit to plate the winning run in the bottom of the inning.
Glenn went the first 3.1 innings before giving way to freshman Brandon Snyder, who struck out two and didn't allow a hit in 1.2 innings. Senior Jason Colletti threw a scoreless sixth but took the loss to fall to 1-3.
Thompson is hitting .471 with a .600 on-base percentage and .853 slugging percentage for the Warriors through the first 24 games. He has 19 runs batted in and 30 runs scored, and 17 of his 32 hits have gone for extra bases.
ESU travels to the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia for single nine-inning game Thursday before hosting West Chester in PSAC East action on Friday at 1 p.m. at Mitterling Field.
