2012 Season Outlook

Box Scores
Series Stats
-- Game 1 - W 11-1
-- Game 2 - W 9-0
-- Game 3 - W 8-0

CARY, N.C. – East Stroudsburg University opened the 2012 baseball season with a three-game sweep at Saint Augustine's, winning 11-1 and 9-0 on Saturday and completing the series with an 8-0 win on Sunday at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary, North Carolina.

Sophomore outfielder Chris Knott led the Warriors offensively, going 7-for-11 with three doubles, a triple, four RBI, five runs and 5-for-5 on stolen bases as ESU had 33 hits in the series, including 15 in Sunday's nine-inning game. The Warriors were also successful on 18-of-19 stolen base attempts.

Senior shortstop Evan Gallagher was 5-for-13 at the plate to move into a tie for 10th on ESU's career hits list with 169, matching the total posted by Gary Vyskocil, who graduated as the program's career hits leader in 1986. Gallagher also scored three runs and is one away from 10th in that category.

Junior Brian Ernst and sophomores Keenan Stare and Keith Moyer all posted victories on the mound in their first starts of the season. The Warriors' pitching staff allowed just 12 hits in 23.0 innings and combined for a two-hit shutout in the second game on Saturday and a four-hit shutout on Sunday.

ESU is ranked No. 5 in the NCBWA Atlantic Region preseason poll coming off its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1985. The Warriors opened last season with three wins at Saint Augustine's as part of a school-record 10-0 start.

Saint Augustine's, which entered the series with a five-game winning streak, falls to 5-5 on the year after going 34-16 overall and 24-4 in the CIAA last season. The Falcons won the CIAA Tournament championship in 2010 and were the runner-ups in 2011.

Knott and Gallagher were two of four Warriors to have a hit in each game of the series, along with junior outfielder Eric Boyer and junior catcher Nico Delerme. Boyer, a preseason NCBWA All-Region selection, was 5-for-13 with four RBI, four runs and five stolen bases. Delerme, an ABCA Gold Glove pick at catcher last season, went 3-for-10 with a triple, two RBI and two runs.

Redshirt senior outfielder Jason Kelmer, returning from a medical redshirt last year, was 3-for-8 with two doubles, three walks, four RBI, four runs and two stolen bases. Sophomore C/DH Eric Forth also went 3-for-8 with a double, RBI and two runs.

Junior outfielder Zac Menendez had five walks, a .556 on-base percentage, three stolen bases and three runs in his ESU debut. Freshman third baseman Robert Patete (2-for-9, RBI), redshirt freshman outfielder Andy Brandstetter (1-for-2, walk), redshirt freshman infielder Jayson Rathjens (0-for-4, two runs) and redshirt freshman P/IB Max Mueller (0-for-1, 1.0 IP) also saw their first action for the Warriors.

ESU sent 10 pitchers to the mound, with Moyer – the starter in Sunday's nine-inning game – the only hurler to go more than 3.0 innings. The staff combined for 21 strikeouts and allowed just 26 base runners (12 hits, 12 walks, 2 hit by pitch) in 23.0 innings.

Ernst made his first appearance on the mound since March 8, 2011 in the opener and threw 3.0 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, two hits and three hits allowed. A preseason NCBWA All-Region first baseman, Ernst was also 1-for-4 with a sacrifice fly in the game and had two hits, including a double, on the weekend.

Redshirt senior left-hander Eric Kline saw his first action in relief of Ernst and had four strikeouts, a walk, two hits allowed and a run in 3.0 innings. Sophomore Kurtis Roberts allowed one hit in the seventh.

In game two on Saturday, Stare, junior left-hander Mike Glassic and Taylor combined on a two-hitter in the 9-0 shutout. Stare went the first 3.0 innings, giving up a hit, striking out one and walking three. Glassic had four strikeouts and two walks in 3.0 hitless innings and sophomore Colin Taylor struck out two and gave up a hit in the seventh.

Moyer struck out four, walked one and gave up three hits in 4.0 innings before three relievers combined to give up just one hit over the final 5.0 innings on Sunday. Junior Colin Kelly had two strikeouts, two walks and allowed a hit in 3.0 innings, senior Ryan Beck struck out one in a hitless eighth inning and Mueller had a strikeout and a walk in the ninth.

Game-by-game offensive recaps are below:

Game 1 – ESU 11, Saint Augustine's 1

Knott was 3-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI, two runs and two stolen bases and Boyer was 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run in the opener. ESU had 11 hits, including five doubles and a triple.

ESU took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single by Boyer (scoring Gallagher) and a sacrifice fly from Kelmer, and added five more in the third to take a 7-0 lead. The Warriors had four hits in the frame, starting with a single by Gallagher and a double by Kelmer. Knott drove in a run with a base hit and Delerme tripled and scored on a groundout by Patete.

ESU finished its scoring with four runs in the fifth, keyed by a double by Knott, RBI single by Boyer and sacrifice fly from Ernst.

Game 2 – ESU 9, Saint Augustine's 0

The Warriors had seven hits, including another double by Knott, and drew 10 walks – four from Menendez in the leadoff spot – as they scored all nine runs over the final four innings. ESU also added eight stolen bases in the game, getting two each from Boyer, Knott and Kelmer.

ESU broke the game open with four runs in the fourth, as a double by Knott and single by Forth set up an RBI single by Delerme. The Warriors added two runs on a balk and wild pitch and Gallagher finished the frame with an RBI single. Boyer walked, stole second and scored on an RBI by Knott in the fifth, and ESU used a single by Gallagher, two walks and two errors to score three in the sixth. Boyer added an RBI single in the seventh.

Game 3 – ESU 8, Saint Augustine's 0

Knott was 3-for-3 with a triple, two RBI and two runs and four other Warriors – Boyer, Kelmer, Forth and Patete – were all 2-for-4 at the plate as ESU pounded out 15 hits to complete the sweep.

Once the again the Warriors used a four-run fourth to break a scoreless tie. Boyer singled, Ernst doubled and Kelmer singled to score the game's first run; Ernst scored on a throwing error by the catcher; and Knott drove in Kelmer with a sacrifice fly. Forth followed with a ground-rule double and later scored on a passed ball to make it 4-0.

Knott, Forth and Guarino (RBI) all singled to add another run in the sixth, and ESU closed its scoring with three in the seventh. Boyer led off with a base hit, stole second and third and scored on a throwing error. Kelmer doubled and scored on a single by Knott, who moved to second on the throw, stole third and scored on an RBI groundout by Forth.