HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. – The East Stroudsburg University baseball team opened its 2019 season on Friday night with a pair of wins against Saint Anselm at Ting Stadium. The Warriors took the opening contest 8-4 and followed with a 14-4 offensive outburst in the nightcap.  
 
The Warriors (2-0) clubbed three home runs against the Hawks, including a pair of three-run home runs from senior Zarley Cina and sophomore Brainy Rojas. ESU tallied 11 hits in its game two victory and combined for 17 between the two games. Saint Anselm (0-2) would score later in both contests as the Hawks had several early opportunities in game one but would be unable to capitalize.
 
In game one, the Warriors got things rolling offensively in the top of the first inning as junior Anthony Torreullas and junior Carson Freeman worked back-to-back walks. Redshirt senior Christian Rishel would plate the first runs of the season for ESU with his single into center field which allowed Torreullas and Freeman both to score. The Warriors upped their lead to 3-0 as Rishel scored off an RBI-groundout from junior CJ Lopez.
 
Redshirt sophomore Nate Fiala would get the nod on the mound for ESU, tossing a pair of scoreless innings. Fiala fanned a pair of batters and scattered two hits against the Hawks before giving way to freshman Justin Guidos in the third inning.
 
Leading 4-0 in the top of the fifth inning, Cina would come to the plate for ESU with runners on first and third. Cina found a pitch to his liking and sent it over the wall in left field to give the Warriors a 7-0 advantage. Saint Anselm would get out of the inning with a strikeout and a throw-down to second to catch a runner attempting to steal second base.
 
The Hawks would get onto the scoreboard with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Saint Anselm trimmed the deficit to 7-3 in the bottom of the sixth before both teams added a run in the seventh inning. Guidos (1-0) earned the win for the Warriors, while redshirt senior Matt Durkin tossed a scoreless inning and recorded three strikeouts to close out the contest for ESU.
 
In game two, redshirt freshman Chase Nowak would silence the Hawks offense through the first four innings of action. The Warriors would give him plenty of run support early in the contest, scoring 11 times through the first three innings.
 
Sophomore Brock Kauffman brought home the first run of the game for the Warriors with a groundout to the shortstop as Freeman scored from third base following his first triple of the season. Lopez hit his first home run of the season for the Warriors with two outs in the bottom of the second inning to make it 2-0.
 
The Warriors took control of the game in the bottom of the third inning, tallying nine runs off four hits and two errors by Saint Anselm. Torreullas and Freeman delivered back-to-back triples to double ESU's lead to 4-0. Later in the inning, freshman Logan Stirr doubled to left center to score redshirt junior Kyle Rogers. Leading 8-0, Rojas launched his first home run of the season with a pair of runners on base, giving ESU its second three-run home run of the night.
 
Saint Anselm would get some offense going against the Warriors' bullpen in the top of the fifth inning. Following a lead-off single, Chris Schworer drove a pitch over the wall in left field against senior Logan Zavada to put the Hawks on the board. The Hawks would score two more times in the frame, both off wild pitches, as the Warriors would go to the bullpen once more. ESU escaped further damage as it tallied the final out by getting a fly-ball that would be caught in right field.
 
ESU added two more runs in the fifth and sixth innings as redshirt senior PJ Van Orman (RBI-single) and sophomore Sirwalter Melendez (RBI-sac fly) helped to increase the lead to 14-4. The Warriors worked around a two-out single from Saint Anselm in the top of the seventh inning to preserve the victory and complete the sweep of the Hawks.
 
Nowak (1-0) earned his first victory of the season after recording five strikeouts and no hits through four innings of work. Redshirt junior Chris Crookham tossed 1.1 scoreless innings of relief for the Warriors, while freshman Mike Yates allowed one hit in the top of the seventh inning.
 
The Warriors wrap-up their opening weekend with a 1:30 p.m. contest against Le Moyne on Saturday. ESU heads to Dinwiddie, Va. Feb. 22-24 for three games before hosting its home opener on Friday, Mar. 1 against American International.