Box Scores
Game 1 - W 10-4
Game 2 - W 12-2

JOHNSTOWN - Redshirt senior third baseman Drew Hercik was 4-for-8 with three extra-base hits and six RBI, and redshirt senior Matt Festa and junior Tyler Eckman were both strong on the mound as No. 23-ranked East Stroudsburg University matched its best-ever undefeated start (10-0) with two wins at Pitt-Johnstown, 10-4 and 12-2, in non-conference baseball on Sunday.

The Warriors equaled their 2011 team by starting 10-0 and are one win from matching their longest winning streak (11), set spanning the 1927-28 seasons and matched in 2010.

ESU used a nine-run sixth inning, including seven runs with two outs, to avoid UPJ's upset bid in the opener.

Festa threw 6.0 innings, allowing one run in the second inning and two in the third, before throwing three shutout frames in the fourth, fifth and sixth. He surrendered seven hits, struck out seven and walked one.

Festa (3-0) improves to 15-5 in his career. He was unscored upon in his first 12.0 innings over two starts to open the season.

Eckman also threw 6.0 innings, allowing just two unearned runs on four hits, to improve to 3-0. He struck out four and walked one.

Hercik was 2-for-4 with a double, triple, two RBI and two runs in game one, and 2-for-4 with a three-run homer and four total RBI in the nightcap.

Six Warriors had at least three hits. Redshirt senior 1B Matt Walewski was 4-for-7 with two doubles, a walk, two RBI and two runs; redshirt junior 2B Jay Young was 4-for7 with a double, walk, RBI and three runs; redshirt junior OF Robert Bennie was 3-for-8 with a double, home run, walk, three RBI and three runs; junior OF Ian Allen was 3-for-8 with a walk, two RBI and three runs; and redshirt junior SS Conner Crookham was 3-for-8 with two RBI and three runs.

The Warriors hit four home runs in game two, including three in the seventh inning.

ESU entered the weekend as the DII leader in runs per game (15.1) and has scored double-digit runs in nine of its 10 games (143 runs total). The Warriors were also ranked second in DII in home runs per game (2.25) and on-base percentage (.531), third in slugging percentage (.703) and fourth in batting average (.427) through the end of February.

The Warriors and UPJ (2-7) conclude their four-game series with a doubleheader Monday.

ESU is ranked in four national polls, including No. 23 by the NCBWA (National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association).

GAME 1

ESU trailed 3-1 going to the top of the sixth, but scored nine runs on seven hits - including five straight two-out hits - to put away the Mountain Cats in the opener.

The Warriors got on the board in the fourth when Crookham had an infield single and scored on a base hit by Walewski.

In the sixth, Hercik hit a one-out double, Walewski walked and sophomore OF Christian Rishel had an RBI double for the inning's first run. Two walks, by redshirt junior OF Casey Saverio and sophomore catcher Steven Zimmerman, Jr. tied the game at 3-3.

After the inning's second out, the Warriors plated seven runs - an infield RBI single by Bennie, a two-run single by Allen, an RBI single by Crookham, a two-run triple by Hercik and an RBI double by Walewski - to turn the 3-1 deficit into a 10-3 lead.

Crookham (2-for-4, 2 RBI, run), Hercik (2-for-4, double, triple, 2 RBI, 2 runs) and Walewski (2-for-3, double, walk, 2 RBI, run) combined to go 6-for-11 with five RBI and five runs in the 4-5-6 spots in the order.

Senior Joe DiGiovanni relieved Festa in the seventh and allowed one run on two hits.

Brantley Rice held ESU to one run on three hits in 5.0 innings of work before the Warriors got to relievers Brad Coleman and Nico Pecora in the sixth.

GAME 2

UPJ scored two unearned runs in the first before ESU put together a six-run inning in the third. Eckman shut down the Mountain Cats to complete the Sunday sweep.

The Warriors had 14 hits, led by Young (3-for-3, walk, RBI, two runs), who reached base in all four plate appearances in the No. 9 spot.

Four players had two hits each - Bennie (2-for-5, double, HR, 2 RBI, 2 runs), Allen (2-for-5, 2 runs), Hercik (2-for-4, HR, 4 RBI, run) and Walewski (2-for-4, double, run).

ESU scored one run in the top of the first as Allen singled, stole second and scored on a two-out single by Hercik.

After UPJ's two runs in the bottom half, Hercik punctuated the sixth-run third with a three-run homer.

Young singled and Bennie doubled to start the inning, Allen reached on a fielders choice, Crookham had an RBI single and Hercik hit his third home run of the season and the 12th of his career. Walewski singled, Zimmerman walked and Young had a two-out RBI single to make it 7-2.

Three home runs in the seventh, all with two outs, set the final margin - Rishel hit a solo shot (4th of the season, 6th career), Zimmerman hit a two-run homer (3rd career) and Bennie another two-run shot (4th career).

Junior Ben Bortz threw a 1-2-3 seventh inning, including a strikeout, to end the game in relief of Eckman.


GAME NOTES
* Festa (3-0, 1.50 ERA, 22 strikeouts, 5 walks) and Eckman (3-0, 1.50 ERA, 13 strikeouts, 2 walks) have both allowed just three runs in 18.0 innings this season.

* ESU has a .417 team batting average (.519 on-base percentage, .700 slugging percentage) after ranking in the top five in DII in all three categories entering the weekend.

* The Warriors have 22 home runs through 10 games led by 4 each by Bennie, Saverio and Rishel.  Hercik and Zimmerman have 3 each, and Crookham and Walewski both have 2.

* 53 of ESU's 149 hits have gone for extra bases, including 11 of 24 on Sunday.

* Hercik moves into a tie for 7th at ESU in career HR (12), a tie for 9th in career RBI (99) and a tie for 10th in career runs (118).