Box Score

DINWIDDIE, Va. - Sophomore outfielder Christian Rishel was 5-for-5 with a double, two home runs and four RBI, leading No. 25-ranked East Stroudsburg University to an 18-10 win vs. West Chester in the championship game of the Dinwiddie Challenge on Monday afternoon.

ESU (8-0) scored 73 runs in four games in Virginia, posting a 14-1 win vs. California (Pa.) on Saturday and two wins Sunday, 22-3 vs. Post (Conn.) and 19-1 vs. Shepherd (W.V.).

Three of ESU's four opponents were ranked in last week's NCBWA Atlantic Region poll in No. 10 California, No. 7 Shepherd and No. 6 West Chester. The Warriors were ranked No. 3 last week, and remain in that spot this week.

Rishel led a 20-hit attack one day after going 6-for-7 (ESU's most hits in at least 13 years) in the win vs. Post. He was 15-for-21 with three doubles, two home runs, 12 RBI and 10 runs on the weekend.

ESU hit .452 (75-for-166) with a .563 on-base percentage and .771 slugging percentage in Virginia, culminating with four home runs in Monday's win vs. the Golden Rams.

Redshirt senior 1B Matt Walewski (3-for-4, 4 RBI, run), redshirt junior 2B Jay Young (3-for-4, 3 runs), redshirt junior OF Robert Bennie (2-for-4, 2 RBI, 3 runs) and junior DH Ian Allen (2-for-4, 2 RBI, run) also had multi-hit games for the Warriors.

Bennie, Allen, Walewski, Rishel and Young all reached base at least four times as ESU had 30 baserunners on 20 hits, nine walks and a hit batter. Redshirt junior OF Casey Saverio and sophomore catcher Steven Zimmerman, Jr. also hit home runs.

West Chester (3-1) led 4-0 after the top of the first inning, getting a three-run home run by center fielder Nick Bateman (2-for-5, 2 HR, 6 RBI), and the Warriors trailed 4-3 through four innings before getting into the West Chester bullpen in the fifth.

ESU got on the board with two runs in the second on an RBI single by Bennie and a sacrifice fly by Allen, and Bennie walked, stole second and scored on a two-out single by Walewski in the fourth.

Senior Ben Stine (5.0 IP, 7 runs, 6 earned) kept the Warriors in the game with three straight scoreless innings in the second, third and fourth before the Golden Rams stretched their lead to 7-3 in the top of the fifth.

ESU responded with six runs in the fifth and eight in the sixth to pull away, sending 21 batters to the plate over two innings.

Rishel and Saverio hit back-to-back homers to start the fifth, and Rishel had an RBI single for the sixth run of the frame which gave ESU a 9-7 lead.

West Chester went back in front, 10-9, with three in the top of the sixth - including a two-run homer by Drew Diehl - before ESU's eight-run burst in the bottom half.

Bennie had an RBI single, Walewski had a two-RBI single, redshirt senior 3B Drew Hercik hit a two-run double, Rishel had an RBI double and Zimmerman capped the inning with a two-run homer - his second in as many days, and the first two of his career.

ESU led 17-10 after the sixth, and Rishel's solo homer in the eighth was the final offense.

Senior right-hander Brandon Holup got the win with 4.0 innings of relief, blanking the Golden Rams over the final three. He had four strikeouts, no walks and allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits.

ESU is idle this week and travels to western Pennsylvania for a four-game set at Pitt-Johnstown on Saturday and Sunday (March 5-6).

The Warriors' 8-0 start is tied for the second-longest in school history with their 1948 and 2014 teams. ESU's 2011 team, which finished third in the Atlantic Region, started 10-0.


GAME NOTES
* Through 8 games, the Warriors are hitting .427 with a .531 on-base percentage and .703 slugging percentage (42 extra-base hits - 21 doubles, 3 triples, 18 home runs).

ESU's top hitters in 2016:
So. OF Christian Rishel - .655/.697/1.069, 19-for-29, 3 2B, 3 HR, 3 walks, 1 HBP, 17 RBI, 12 runs
R-Jr. SS Conner Crookham - .556/.680/1.000, 10-for-18, 2 2B, 2 HR, 7 walks, 9 RBI, 11 runs
R-Sr. 1B Matt Walewski - .542/.607/.833, 13-for-24, 1 2B, 2 HR, 4 walks, 16 RBI, 9 runs

So. C Steven Zimmerman - .500/.625/.833, 12-for-24, 2 2B, 2 HR, 8 walks, 10 RBI, 8 runs
R-Jr. OF Robert Bennie - .471/.561/.853, 16-for-34, 2 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 5 walks, 2 HBP, 9 RBI, 17 runs
Jr. P/OF Ian Allen - .400/.524/.600, 12-for-30, 2 2B, 2 3B, 9 walks, 1 HBP, 9 RBI, 17 runs

Sr. 1B Dylan Tamecki - .389/.480/.389, 7-for-18, 5 walks, 7 RBI, 3 runs
R-Jr. OF Casey Saverio - .387/.500/.871, 12-for-31, 3 2B, 4 HR, 7 walks, 16 RBI, 13 runs
R-Jr. 2B Jay Young - .360/.448/.400, 9-for-25, 1 2B, 3 walks, 1 HBP, 6 RBI, 10 runs
R-Sr. 3B Drew Hercik - .360/.553/.720, 9-for-25, 3 2B, 2 HR, 9 walks, 3 HBP, 11 RBI, 13 runs

ESU's top hitters in Virginia:
So. OF Christian Rishel - .714 (15-for-21), 3 2B, 2 HR, 1 walk, 1 HBP, 12 RBI, 10 runs
R-So. SS Conner Crookham - .667 (6-for-9), 2 HR, 5 walks, 7 RBI, 8 runs
R-Sr. 1B Matt Walewski - .583 (7-for-12), 2 walks, 8 RBI, 2 runs
R-Jr. OF Robert Bennie - .550 (11-for-20), 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 2 walks, 1 HBP, 6 RBI, 12 runs
Jr. P/OF Ian Allen - .438 (7-for-16), 2 2B, 7 walks, 5 RBI, 10 runs
R-Jr. OF Casey Saverio - .412 (7-for-17), 2 2B, 4 HR, 4 walks, 10 RBI, 7 runs

Pitching in Virginia:
Jr. LHP Ian Allen - 7.0 IP, 1 run, 6 hits, 7 strikeouts, 0 walks in 14-1 win vs. California
Jr. RHP Tyler Eckman - 6.0 IP, 3 runs (2 earned), 8 hits, 4 strikeouts, 0 walks in 22-3 win vs. Post
R-Sr. RHP Matt Festa - 7.0 IP, 0 runs, 5 hits, 8 strikeouts, 1 walk in 19-1 win vs. Shepherd


NCBWA Division II Atlantic Region Poll
1. Millersville (10) (10-1) - 100 points - previously 1
2. Mercyhurst (6-3) - 87 - 2
3. East Stroudsburg (7-0) - 82 - 3
4. Seton Hill (1-2) - 67 - 4
5. West Chester (3-0) - 6 - 6
t-6. Winston-Salem (6-9) - 41 - 5
t-6. Shepherd (2-3) - 41 - 7
8. WV State (0-0) - 35 - 8
9. California (3-3) - 11 - 10
t-10. Notre Dame (Ohio) (3-2) - 9 - RV
t-10. Bloomsburg (5-2) - 9 - NR

Dropped out: #9 Shippensburg

Also receiving votes: West Liberty (3-1) 4, UVA-Wise (5-3) 2.