Box Scores
Game 1 - W 3-0
Game 2 - L 4-2

EAST STROUDSBURG – Junior Brian Ernst threw a three-hitter with a career-high 11 strikeouts for his first career shutout as East Stroudsburg University took the first game of Friday's PSAC East doubleheader vs. Mansfield, 3-0, at Mitterling Field.

The Mounties won the second game, 4-2, to split the first half of this weekend's series that will conclude at Mansfield on Saturday.

The Warriors (15-6, 1-1), playing their PSAC East opener after a first week bye, got an outstanding effort from Ernst, who improved to 4-0 this season and 10-3 in his career at ESU.

He gave up hits in the third, fifth and seventh and got out of his biggest jam in the third, when a single, walk and hit batter loaded the bases. Ernst struck out cleanup hitter Anthony Rentz to end the threat, and only allowed one runner to reach second the rest of the day.

He struck out the side in the sixth to reach the 10-strikeout mark after the Warriors took a 1-0 lead, and pitched around a two-out single in the seventh to secure the shutout.

ESU scored an unearned run in the fifth and two more in the sixth off Mansfield starter Joe Candelmo, who gave up five hits, struck out seven and walked one in a 6.0-inning complete game.

In the fifth, redshirt senior 1B Jason Kelmer hit a leadoff single and moved to third when Candelmo's throw to second was wide on a sacrifice bunt by junior C Nico Delerme. Candelmo struck out the next two hitters but the Warriors broke the 0-0 tie on a double steal with Kelmer crossing the plate.

A leadoff single by senior SS Evan Gallagher and a double by junior OF Eric Boyer set the table for two runs in the sixth. Mansfield intentionally walked Ernst (0-2, 2 walks) and the Warriors' next two hitters, sophomore OF Chris Knott and Kelmer, lifted sacrifice flies to center to produce two runs.

In game two, both teams traded runs in the first, but Mansfield put up three in the fourth and held off an ESU rally in the sixth.

The Mounties had 14 hits, led by a 4-for-4 game from No. 3 hitter Matt Fisher. Three other players had two hits each in Stephen Stopper, Brian Milliman and Jon Taddeo.

Mansfield scored its run in the first after a pair of singles and an ESU error before the Warriors got on the board in the bottom half. Junior OF Zac Menendez drew a leadoff walk, moved to third on a single by Gallagher and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ernst.

The Mounties put together five straight hits to score three runs in the fourth. Joel Worthington singled, Jon Taddeo doubled and Dylan Woodworth, Stopper and Fisher all had base hits to make it 4-1 and knock out ESU sophomore Keenan Stare (5-2), who had won five of his first six decisions.

Sophomore Colin Taylor came on to get a potential double play ball, and the Warriors got the third out when the return throw to first went wide but Ernst threw out Stopper at the plate.

Mansfield starter Danny Brown (5.2 IP, 4 hits, 2 runs, 5 strikeouts, 2 walks) got out of a jam in the second and faced just 10 batters in the third, fourth and fifth before running into trouble in the sixth.

Brown retired the first two hitters in the sixth before hitting Knott and giving up a single to Kelmer to give the Warriors runners at first and third. After a mound visit, Delerme delivered an RBI single to cut the deficit to 4-2, but Andy Young came on to get the final out of the inning.

Young threw a 1-2-3 seventh inning to pick up his first save of the season for Mansfield.

Taylor (2.2 IP, 1 hit, 2 strikeouts) and junior left-hander Mike Glassic (1.0 IP, 2 hits, 1 strikeout) blanked Mansfield over the final three innings.

GAME NOTES
* Gallagher had three of ESU's nine hits on the day. He has 190 career hits, tied for 5th in school history with Ryan Hatfield (2000-03).
* Ernst is 4-0 with a 1.59 ERA in six starts this season. He has 34 strikeouts, 11 walks and 17 hits allowed in 28.1 innings.