Box Scores
W 7-5
W 8-5

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EAST STROUDSBURG - Senior left-hander Ian Allen and freshman right-hander Connor Johnson had solid pitching performances, and East Stroudsburg University had eight hits with runners in scoring position as the Warriors captured both ends of a PSAC East baseball doubleheader vs. Lock Haven, 7-5 and 8-5, to take this weekend's series 3-1.

ESU (22-19-1, 11-12-1) won Friday's opener, 8-5, before falling 5-2 in the nightcap. The Warriors remain fifth in the PSAC East standings with one weekend (four games) remaining, and still have an opportunity to claim a top-four spot and their sixth PSAC Tournament appearance in eight years.

Allen threw 6.0 innings (5 runs, 4 earned) in the opener and hit the go-ahead RBI double in a three-run sixth. Junior Nick DiEva pitched around a leadoff hit batter in the seventh to earn his second save of the season.

Johnson went 5.1 innings (4 runs) in the nightcap after earning the win in relief (1.2 innings) in Friday's series opener at Lock Haven.

Redshirt senior Ben Stine, who pitched 4.2 innings as the starter in the second game of the series, got the final five outs for his first career save.

ESU hit .364 (20-for-55) on Saturday after collecting just nine hits in Friday's split. The Warriors reached base 11 times via walk or hit by pitch in the series opener.

Allen walked twice Saturday to tie ESU's career record (105) held by Drew Hercik (2013-16). His career stolen base count remains at 98, two from becoming the third player in PSAC history with 100 career steals.

Seven Warriors had multiple hits in the doubleheader, with Allen (3-for-6, 2 doubles, 2 RBI, 5 runs, 2 walks), freshman SS Joey Paolini (3-for-5, 3 runs, walk), redshirt senior 1B Dylan Tamecki (3-for-5, 3 RBI, run, sacrifice fly, 2 walks) and redshirt senior 2B Jay Young (3-for-7, double, RBI, run, walk) collecting three hits each. Six ESU players reached base at least four times.

Lock Haven (28-14, 14-10) falls into a tie for third in the PSAC East with Millersville (31-14, 14-10), which swept Bloomsburg this weekend.

West Chester (30-7, 20-4) remains first in the conference and faces Lock Haven next weekend. No. 2 Shippensburg (25-18-1, 16-8) has a four-game set with Millersville next weekend.

GAME 1 - W 7-5

ESU posted its second comeback win of the weekend, rallying from deficits of 2-0 after the second and 5-4 entering the bottom of the sixth, after recovering from a 4-0 hole in the 8-5 win at LHU in Friday's series opener.

LHU scored in the first and added an unearned run in the second to lead 2-0, before ESU got on the board with four runs in the bottom of the third starting with a leadoff single by Allen. Tamecki singled and junior 3B Laine Renaud had an RBI double for the Warriors' first run, redshirt freshman OF Tom Nuneviller had a two-RBI double, stole second and scored on an RBI single by freshman OF Evan Steele - who hit a two-out, two-run, pinch-hit, go-ahead bases loaded single in the seventh inning in game one Friday.

The Bald Eagles answered back with three runs in the fourth off Allen, including a two-out, two-run double by Cayden Stover, but Allen stranded two runners in both the fifth and sixth innings to keep the deficit at 5-4.

The Warriors scored three runs on four hits in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead, including three straight to start the inning. Paolini singled and scored on an RBI double by Young which tied the game and Allen had the go-ahead RBI double. After a strikeout, LHU elected to intentionally walk Tamecki, and Renaud followed with his second RBI double of the game for a 7-5 lead.

DiEva relieved Allen in the seventh, and after he hit the first batter, he got a strikeout and two groundouts to end the game.

Allen struck out nine, walked one and allowed 11 hits to earn his third win of the season and improve to 12-6 in 27 career starts for the Warriors.

He entered ESU's career top 10 in strikeouts (161) one week after becoming the second ESU player and sixth PSAC player with 150 career hits (195) and 150 strikeouts.

Allen has 60 strikeouts and 12 walks in 41.2 innings on the mound this season. His career strikeouts per nine innings (11.0) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.6) are both currently the best in school history.

At the plate, Young, Allen, Renaud and Paolini all had two hits as part of ESU's 12-hit attack. The Warriors had 16 total baserunners, including four walks.

GAME 2 - W 8-5

ESU led from start to finish, and Johnson improved to 4-4 with three saves in his 16th appearance and fifth start of the season as a freshman.

The Warriors gave him a 4-0 lead after two innings, scoring twice in both of the first two frames. After Johnson tossed a 1-2-3 top of the first, Young singled, Allen walked, both runners advanced on a wild pitch, junior C Steven Zimmerman, Jr. had an RBI single and Tamecki had a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead.

In the second, Saverio and Paolini singled and Young walked to load the bases with one out. Allen drove in a run with a fielders choice, and Paolini scored the second run of the inning with an error on the continuing action of the play to make it 4-0.

Lock Haven scored three runs on six hits in the third, but Johnson got out of it with a 4-3 lead when the stranded the bases loaded.

ESU didn't scored in the third, and Johnson got impressive defensive help in the fourth after a two-out walk as Saverio took away a potential go-ahead home run by Stover with a catch over the outfield wall in left.

Saverio followed with a one-out double to start a three-run fourth that gave the Warriors a 7-3 lead. Paolini walked, and both scored with some good baserunning and shaky LHU fielding following a double steal. Allen re-started the inning with a two-out walk, Zimmerman was hit by a pitch (his third of the series) and Tamecki belted an RBI single to extend the lead.

Johnson pitched around a two-out single in the fifth to maintain the 7-3 score. LHU got one run with a solo homer in the sixth, and after a double and an error, Stine relieved Johnson with one out and runners on second and third. Stine picked of the runner at second and got a strikeout to end the inning.

ESU added an insurance run in the sixth on an Allen double and Tamecki RBI single, again with two outs.

Stine gave up an unearned run on an error, double and ground ball in the seventh, but LHU never managed to get the tying run to the plate.

Saverio (2-for-2, HBP, 2 runs, 2 stolen bases) and Paolini (1-for-2, walk, 2 runs, stolen base) reached in five of their six plate appearances at the bottom of the order. Allen was 1-for-2 with two walks and three runs in the No. 2 spot, and Tamecki was 2-for-3 with three RBI in the cleanup post.

Paolini led the Warriors in hits in the series (6-for-11) and eight players reached base at least four times. Paolini, Tamecki (3-for-10, 4 walks) and Zimmerman (3-for-11, walk, 3 HBP) reached seven times each.

ESU's pitchers had 18 strikeouts, four walks and four HBP in 27.0 innings of work. LHU pitchers struck out 27 but walked 15 and hit seven in 26.0 innings.

Allen finishes the weekend with a .403 average this season, maintaining a .500 on-base percentage and .701 slugging percentage with 26 extra base hits and a PSAC-leading 31 stolen bases.

Tamecki is hitting .390 with a .454 on-base percentage and .567 slugging percentage. Allen (42) and Tamecki (41) both rank in the top 10 in the PSAC in RBI.