MURFREESBORO, N.C. – The East Stroudsburg University baseball team opened its 2020 campaign on Sunday with a pair of games against Chowan University at Hawkins Field. The Warriors won the opening-game 2-1 in extra innings before falling 6-5 in game two.
 
ESU (1-1) received a strong pitching performance from redshirt sophomore Chase Nowak in game one as the right-hander recorded six strikeouts through three innings of work. ESU tallied 14 strikeouts as a pitching staff while allowing just two walks.
 
Nowak took the no-decision for the Warriors after allowing one run off two hits before handing things over to the bullpen. Chowan would get onto the scoreboard first in the contest as Jared Fry homered to right field against Nowak to make it 1-0.
 
Senior Tyler Guidos made his pitching debut for the Warriors in the fourth inning and would toss a pair of scoreless frames while recording three strikeouts. Redshirt senior Joe Baran took over for ESU in the bottom of the sixth inning as the left-hander kept the Hawks off the scoreboard.
 
The Warriors rallied to knot the score in the top of the seventh inning as freshman Tim Haverstick delivered a sacrifice fly to center field. Junior Tommy Dunleavy scored from third on the play to make it 1-1.
 
Baran worked a scoreless seventh and eighth inning as the Warriors would come to the plate with a chance to take the lead in the top of the ninth. Junior Brainy Rojas delivered for ESU in the ninth as his single to left field would allow senior CJ Lopez to score and make it 2-1.
 
Senior CJ Gonzales looked to close the game for the Warriors and would get the second out of the inning with a runner in scoring position at second. Gonzales issued a walk to put a pair of runners on base and would be replaced by sophomore Justin Guidos, who got a ground ball to third for the final out of the contest.
 
Baran (1-0) earned the win for ESU while Guidos notched his first save of the season. Rojas finished 4-for-5 in the leadoff spot for ESU while four other Warriors recorded a hit in the game.
 
In game two, it would be senior Cam Voss who made his first start of the season for ESU. The Warriors received three scoreless innings from Voss as he scattered one hit and fanned four Chowan batters.
 
Junior Brock Kauffman gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning as Rojas scored from third. The one-run cushion would hold until freshman Ben Piripavel walked with the bases loaded in the top of the fourth inning to make it 2-0. Lopez followed with a double into left field that allowed Dunleavy and senior Joey Paolini to score and increase ESU's lead to 4-0.
 
The Warriors held onto their lead until Chowan rallied for six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Hawks trimmed the deficit to 4-3 following a two-run single and later gained a 5-4 advantage with a two-run double.
 
Rojas walked with the bases loaded in the sixth inning to cut the gap to 6-5 as Paolini scored from third. ESU would be unable to knot the score in the frame with the bases loaded as Chowan got a strikeout to end the frame.
 
The Warriors looked to rally in the seventh inning as Chowan walked four ESU batters in the frame. ESU tried to get a pair of runners into scoring position before junior CJ Gantz was thrown out trying to steal third. The Hawks secured the 6-5 victory as Lopez fouled out to the first baseman.
 
Senior Connor Johnson (0-1) suffered the loss for ESU after allowing three runs to score off two hits in the sixth inning. Dunleavy finished 2-for-3 with a run for the Warriors while Rojas and sophomore Logan Stirr both went 1-for-3 with a run scored.
 
ESU makes the trip south again next weekend as the Warriors are slated to play four games in Cary, North Carolina. The Warriors head to Dinwiddie, Virginia for three games before hosting Jefferson on February 28 at Creekview Park.