Box Scores
Game 1 - L 10-5
Game 2 - L 6-3

SHIPPENSBURG – East Stroudsburg University, the only baseball program in the PSAC East to make the conference tournament the last two years, was officially knocked out of postseason contention on Friday as the Warriors dropped both ends of a doubleheader at Shippensburg, 10-5 and 6-3.

ESU (24-19-1, 8-13-1) and Shippensburg (28-19, 13-9) both had 15 hits in the doubleheader, but Shippensburg took advantage of 19 walks and two hit batters to clinch its second straight trip to the tournament. In other PSAC East games, division leader West Chester swept Bloomsburg and Kutztown also secured a playoff spot with a sweep of Mansfield.

In the opener, ESU scored two runs in the top of the sixth inning to pull within 4-3, but Shippensburg got six in the bottom of the inning to open its lead. Shippensburg broke up the second game with a five-run third.

Senior 2B Ryan Guarino extended his hitting streak to 16 games, going 3-for-6 in the doubleheader. Freshman 3B Robert Patete, the PSAC East Player of the Week two weeks ago, stayed hot by going 3-for-7 with a double.

Junior C Nico Delerme hit his first home run of the season and had two hits in the opener. Patete and sophomore OF Chris Knott were both 2-for-3 with a walk, and Knott hit his fifth homer of the year which was also his 20th extra-base hit.

Senior SS Evan Gallagher tied the school record of 188 career games, set by Kevin Thompson (2005-09), before leaving the second game due to injury in the sixth inning. He had a hit in both games, giving him 212 for his career (second in school history), and also had his 98th career RBI.

Junior OF Zac Menendez also set a school record for most walks in a single season with 39. Menendez had his first extra-base hit of the season, a double down the left-field line, to lead off the first inning of game 1. He finished the day with 43 hits, 39 walks, a school-record 29 stolen bases and a .459 on-base percentage this season.

Junior Brian Ernst had nine strikeouts in 5.0 innings but took his second loss of the season in game 1, falling to 5-2. He gave up four runs on six hits and issued five walks.

Junior Kurt Stettner made his first start of the season in game 2, giving up three runs (two earned) on two hits with seven walks and three strikeouts in 2.2 innings. Junior Colin Kelly was the most effective reliever, getting seven straight outs to finish the game.

Shippensburg scored two runs in the first inning of game 1 after ESU left the bases loaded. The Raiders added runs in the third and fifth to lead 4-1, then got six runs off three ESU relievers in the sixth.

Gallagher's RBI single scored Guarino to tie the 2nd game at 1-1 in the third inning, but Shippensburg scored five runs, all with two outs, on five hits in the bottom half. The Warriors got two runs back in the fourth to make it 6-3, which represented the final margin.

Nick Umberger improved to 8-2 on the mound for Ship, giving up three runs (one earned) on five hits in 5.0 innings. Kody Kibler threw a 1-2-3 seventh inning to set Ship's school record with his eighth save.

The Warriors will finish the series, and the 2012 season, with Senior Day on Saturday at 1 p.m. Their five seniors – pitcher Ryan Beck, Gallagher, Guarino, 1B/OF Jason Kelmer and pitcher Eric Kline – will be recognized before the first game. ESU can earn its fourth straight 25-win season, extending the longest stretch in school history, with a win on Saturday.