Box Scores
Game 1 - W 7-4
Game 2 - W 10-5

Saturday recap (W 13-7, W 18-7)

MURFREESBORO, N.C. - Junior Tyler Eckman and senior transfer Ben Stine had strong starting pitching performances and East Stroudsburg University's offense scored 48 runs in its four-game season-opening baseball series, completing the weekend sweep with a pair of wins (7-4, 10-5) at Chowan on Sunday.

ESU (4-0), which opened the season with 13-7 and 18-7 wins on Saturday, hit nearly .400 (.394) with a .488 on-base percentage and .614 slugging percentage after ranking 12th in DII in batting (.337) and 5th in on-base percentage (.423) in 2015.

Eckman went 6.0 innings, allowing one run on five hits, struck out five and walked one in his first appearance of the season. The All-PSAC East first team relief pitcher and a preseason All-Region second team selection who set ESU's school record with nine saves in 2015, Eckman is transitioning to the starting rotation after making three starts late last spring.

Stine, a transfer from Division I VCU, threw 4.0 innings (2 runs, 5 hits, 5 strikeouts, 1 walk) in his first action for the Warriors in the nightcap. The game was called due to darkness with nobody out and runners on first and third in the bottom of the seventh inning with ESU leading 10-5.

ESU's four starters - redshirt senior Matt Festa (5.0 IP, 0 runs, 3 hits, 7 strikeouts, 3 walks), junior Ian Allen (4.0 IP, 1 run, 4 hits, 9 strikeouts, 0 walks), Eckman and Stine - combined to throw 19.0 innings, allowing four runs on 17 hits, with 26 strikeouts and just five walks.

ESU had 18 hits in the doubleheader Sunday and 50 hits in the series. Redshirt junior 2B Jay Young had the top offensive day, going 3-for-6 with 4 runs. He was 3-for-5 with 3 runs in game 2.

Redshirt senior 3B Drew Hercik was 2-for-4 with his second home run of the season, 3 walks, 3 RBI and 3 runs. Sophomore catcher Steven Zimmerman was 3-for-7 with a walk and redshirt junior OF Casey Saverio went 2-for-6 with a double, 2 walks, 3 RBI and 4 runs.

Redshirt senior 1B Matt Walewski hit .500 (6-for-12) with a double, two home runs, 9 RBI and 7 runs in four games (three starts). He was 5-for-8 with a double, both homers, 8 RBI and 7 runs on Saturday.

In all, 10 Warriors had at least four hits on the weekend. Four hit home runs (Hercik 2, Walewski 2, sophomore OF Christian Rishel, redshirt junior OF Robert Bennie), seven had extra-base hits and 11 had at least three RBI.

ESU entered the week listed No. 4 in the NCBWA Atlantic Region rankings after going 31-19 and reaching the PSAC championship game last spring. The Warriors returned all nine of their offensive starters, including three preseason All-Region selections (Jr. P/OF Ian Allen, Young and Sr. 1B Dylan Tamecki), along with three of their top four starting pitchers.

Game 1

Chowan scored one run in the bottom of the first, but ESU scored twice in the second inning, once in the third and twice in both the sixth and seventh innings.

Saverio had an RBI double and senior 2B Nick Rabasco had a sacrifice fly in the second inning, and Hercik lofted a sacrifice fly in the third.

In the sixth, Bennie gave the Warriors a 5-1 lead with a two-out, two-run single. Hercik homered to lead off the seventh and Zimmerman added an RBI single for a 7-1 advantage before Chowan scored three in the bottom half to set the final margin.

Game 2

The Warriors scored in six of their seven at-bats, including the first four innings, building an 8-2 lead.

ESU drew four straight walks with two outs in the first to plate two runs after Young's leadoff single to start the game, as Hercik, senior 1B Dylan Tamecki, Rishel and Saverio all took free passes.

Allen had a sacrifice fly in the second, and after Chowan made it 3-2 in the bottom of the second, the Warriors scored two runs on two hits in the third, including an RBI single by Zimmerman.

Three ESU runs made it 8-2 in the top of the fourth as Young singled and scored on Tamecki's sacrifice fly, and Rishel had a two-out, two-run single.

Hercik and Walewski both added RBI singles in the sixth and seventh innings.

Stine worked the first 4.0 innings, and after the bullpen ran into some trouble, redshirt senior Cody Klinger entered with two outs and runners on second and third in a 9-5 game to get the final out of the sixth.


GAME NOTES
* Eckman pitched ESU into the PSAC Tournament on the final day of the regular season last spring, throwing 5.0 innings (2 runs) in a 5-3 win vs. Bloomsburg in his first career start. He then threw a complete game in a 13-4 win vs. Slippery Rock in the winners bracket of the PSAC Tournament as the Warriors eventually finished as PSAC runner-up.

* ESU's top offensive performers this weekend:
Matt Walewski - 6-for-12, 2B, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 7 runs, 2 walks (.533 on-base percentage)
Christian Rishel - 4-for-8, HR, 5 RBI, 2 runs, 2 walks (.600)
Steven Zimmerman, Jr. - 6-for-13, 3 RBI, 2 runs, 3 walks (.563)
Jay Young - 5-for-11, 2B, 4 RBI, 6 runs, 1 walk (.500)
Drew Hercik - 5-for-11, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 7 runs, 5 walks (.588)
Conner Crookham - 4-for-9, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 3 runs, 2 walks (.545)
Dylan Tamecki - 4-for-9, 3 RBI, 2 runs, 3 walks (.538)
Ian Allen - 5-for-14, 2 3B, 4 RBI, 7 runs, 2 walks, 1 HBP (.444)
Casey Saverio - 5-for-14, 2B, 6 RBI, 6 runs, 3 walks (.471)
Robert Bennie - 5-for-14, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 5 runs, 3 walks, 1 HBP (.500)