Box Score (Game One) | Box Score (Game Two)

MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – The East Stroudsburg University baseball team is headed back to the PSAC Tournament for the fourth time in the last five years after splitting a pair of games against nationally-ranked No. 9 Millersville on Monday at Cooper Park. ESU won the opening game 4-2 before falling 8-5 in game two.
 
ESU (29-15, 15-9 PSAC East) returns to post-season play after last qualifying for the league tournament in 2017. The Warriors won the tournament crown in 2013 and finished as runner-ups in 2015. ESU has advanced to the NCAA Div. II Tournament three times (2011, 13, 16) under 12th-year head coach John Kochmansky. 
 
Senior Zarley Cina, redshirt senior Mike Sulcoski, and sophomore Brainy Rojas each tallied two hits on the day for ESU. Cina delivered his team-leading fifth home run of the season for the Warriors, while junior Anthony Torreullas tallied his 18th double of the season in game one. Redshirt senior Christian Rishel added a run-scoring single in game one and now sits at 126 runs batted in for his career. 
 
The Warriors opened game one with a run in the top of the first inning as Rishel delivered a single up the middle to plate Torreullas. The Marauders would be unable to answer with a run of their own in the bottom of the frame against ESU junior Joe Baran.
 
Millersville put a pair of runners on base in the fourth inning against Baran but would come up empty after back-to-back fly-ball outs to strand both runners. Baran yielded a lead-off single in the fifth inning and recorded one out before ESU turned to the bullpen and freshman Justin Guidos. The Marauders loaded the bases before a ground-out to junior CJ Lopez ended the threat.
 
Cina would deliver the big blow for ESU with two outs in the top of the sixth inning as he sent a 0-1 offering over the fence down the right field line to clear the bases and give the Warriors a 4-0 advantage.
 
The Marauders tallied a run in the bottom of the sixth inning to trim the deficit to 4-1 and would look for more offense in the bottom of the seventh. ESU called upon redshirt freshman Chase Nowak to close the game but would see Millersville trim the deficit to 4-2 following a two-out double. Nowak would get a called strike three to end the game and strand a runner on third as the Warriors secured the 4-2 victory.
 
Baran (3-1) earned the win after tossing 4.1 scoreless innings for the Warriors. Guidos allowed one run off one hit through 1.2 innings of work, while Nowak notched his second save of the season for ESU.
 
Millersville jumped out to a quick start in game two, scoring five runs in the bottom of the first inning. Jimmy Cain highlighted the frame for the Marauders with a three-run home run to left field. The Marauders would add another run to their advantage in the second inning off a throwing error to make it 6-0.
 
Rojas put the Warriors onto the scoreboard in the third inning with a single through the left side that would score Sulcoski to make it 6-1. Sophomore Sirwalter Melendez scored later in the frame off a throwing error by the catcher to cut the deficit to 6-2.
 
Both sides would go scoreless into the bottom of the sixth inning until Millersville increased its lead to 8-2 following a sacrifice fly and run-scoring single. The Warriors rallied in the top of the seventh inning, scoring three times to trim the gap to 8-5. Sulcoski and Melendez delivered back-to-back RBI doubles for ESU, while Torreullas plated Melendez with a sacrifice fly.
 
Redshirt sophomore Nate Fiala (4-2) suffered the loss for the Warriors, while junior CJ Gonzales tossed a pair of scoreless innings for ESU.
 
The Warriors host Shippensburg on Friday at Hughes Field in their PSAC East regular-season home finale beginning at 1 p.m. and head to Shippensburg on Saturday for a pair of games against the Raiders.