Box Scores
Game 1 - W 11-3
Game 2 - W 10-2

MURFREESBORO, N.C. – Sophomore outfielder Chris Knott, last week's NCBWA Atlantic Region Hitter of the Week, was 5-for-8 and broke a scoreless tie with his first homer of the season in the opener as East Stroudsburg University swept Chowan, 11-3 and 10-2, to improve to 5-0 on Saturday in North Carolina.

Junior Brian Ernst and sophomore Keenan Stare both struck out seven in their second starts of the year on the mound. Ernst went 4.0 innings, allowed one hit and walked one in the opener, and Stare got seven of his 10 outs by strikeout in 3.1 innings before sophomore Keith Moyer came on to put out a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the second game.

ESU, ranked No. 3 in the NCBWA Atlantic Region poll, opened the season with a three-game sweep at Saint Augustine's last weekend. The second half of the series at Chowan (5-8), last year's CIAA regular season champion, was cancelled due to a winter storm that is forecast to hit North Carolina on Sunday morning.

The Warriors had 29 hits and hit .446 in the twinbill, with 17 hits in the first game and 12 in the second, when they put together six straight singles to take an early 4-0 lead. Knott and redshirt senior Jason Kelmer were both 3-for-4 in the opener and both players had two hits in the second game.

Knott's leadoff homer in the fifth of game one opened the floodgates for 11 ESU runs over the next two innings. Senior 2B Ryan Guarino drilled a three-run shot later in the inning after freshman 3B Robert Patete doubled and junior catcher Nico Delerme singled to extend the frame.

The Warriors scored seven runs, all with two outs, on six hits in the sixth after Chowan scored pulled within 4-3 in the bottom of the fifth. Kelmer and Knott hit one-out singles and Delerme drove a two-run double to plate the first runs of the inning. Guarino walked and junior OF Zac Menendez had an infield single to load the bases for senior SS Evan Gallagher, who walked to score Delerme.

Junior OF Eric Boyer continued the inning with a two-run single, and Ernst delivered the knockout blow with a two-run double to push the Warriors' lead to 11-3.

Senior Ryan Beck (1.1 IP, 1 strikeout, 1 walk) and freshman Jabin Weaver (1.0 IP, walk) got the last seven outs after redshirt senior Eric Kline gave up three runs on five hits in the fifth. Beck came on to get out of a bases-loaded, two-out jam with a ground ball to get the offense back up in the sixth.

In the second game, the Warriors got started early with consecutive singles from redshirt freshman OF Andy Brandstetter, Gallagher, Boyer, Kelmer (RBI), Knott (2 RBI) and Ernst. Patete drove in the fourth run of the inning on an error and was 0-for-1 with three RBI in the game, also collecting two sacrifice flies.

Knott hit a leadoff double and scored on Patete's sacrifice fly to give ESU a 5-0 lead in the third, and Moyer pitched the Warriors out of the bottom of the fourth with a strikeout and groundout after Stare walked the bases loaded.

The Warriors extended it to 8-0 with three in the sixth. Ernst was hit by a pitch to start the inning, Forth singled, Patete plated Ernst with a sacrifice fly and redshirt freshman 2B Jayson Rathjens had an RBI double. Menendez followed with an infield single and an RBI.

Ernst added a two-run single in the sixth to score Boyer, who walked, and redshirt freshman Max Mueller, who had a pinch-hit single. Chowan scored both of its runs in the seventh.

Moyer didn't allow a hit in his 2.2 innings of work, struck out two and walked one in relief of Stare. Freshman Jake Traub made his first career appearance and struck out two, allowed three hits and a walk in getting the last three outs.

Knott's 5-for-8 included a double, homer, three RBI and three runs. Kelmer was 4-for-7 with an RBI and two runs and Ernst was 3-for-7 with a double, four RBI and a run. ESU's 29 hits included five doubles and two home runs.

Knott is hitting .632 (12-for-19) with four doubles, a triple, a home run, seven RBI and eight runs in the Warriors' first five games. Kelmer is hitting .467 (7-for-15) with two doubles, five RBI and six runs after missing all of last season due to injury.

GAME NOTES
* Gallagher moved into 10th in school history in career runs scored (111). He also moved to 9th in career hits (171).
* Ernst (7.0 IP, 4 hits), Moyer (6.2 IP, 3 hits) and Stare (6.1 IP, 2 hits) have yet to give up a run in two appearances so far this season. ESU's staff ERA is 1.46 with 40 strikeouts, 22 hits and six runs allowed in 37.0 innings.
* ESU is hitting .367 with a .448 on-base percentage and .559 slugging percentage and has scored 49 runs in its first five games. The Warriors have scored at least eight runs in every game.
* Brandstetter was 1-for-2 with a run in his first start in game 2. He was injured in the second inning in a collision with the fence in left field and was replaced by Menendez.