EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – The East Stroudsburg University baseball team played a back-and-forth nine-inning game against Chestnut Hill on Wednesday afternoon at Creekview Park, but ultimately fell to the Griffins 7-6.
The Warriors (1-2) took a 4-3 lead in the fifth inning but surrender three runs (two unearned) in the seventh inning to give the Griffins back the lead. ESU cut the score to 6-5 in the bottom half of the inning but the Griffins added an insurance run in the eighth inning to make the score 7-5. The Warriors trimmed the lead back to one in the bottom half of the inning and advanced
Ricky Bromirski to scoring position in the ninth but were unable to push across the game-tying run.
The Griffins produced a number of timely hits and made outs in key situations to improve to 2-1.
Brock Kauffman finished the day 2-for-3 at the plate to go along with two runs scored and two runs batted in for the Warriors. The redshirt junior delivered a game-tying two-run blast in the fifth inning, a triple in the eighth and two walks. Redshirt sophomore
Logan Stirr went 3-for-5 with one RBI and redshirt freshman
Ben Piripavel finished 1-for-3 with two walks, two steals and one run batted in.
After a quiet first two innings, each team had a scoring chance in the third inning but came up empty. With two outs in the top half of the inning, the Griffins loaded the bases on a hit and pair of walks. Freshman
Jack Nielsen worked around the jam by getting Andrew Dietz to ground into a fielder's choice. ESU loaded the bases on three walks but
Anthony Torreullas flied out to left to end the inning.
Chestnut Hill would take a 3-0 lead in the top of the fifth off a three-run home run from Ameir Uzzell to centerfield. ESU rallied in the bottom half of the inning as
Carson Freeman drove in
Brainy Rojas on a base knock to even the score at 1-1. Kauffman tied the game at 3-3 with his two-run home run and Stirr singled home
Tommy Dunleavy later in the frame to give the Warriors a 4-3 lead.
The Griffins regained the lead in the top of the seventh inning after three hits and one Warriors' throwing error yielded three runs to make the score 6-4. With two outs in the bottom of the inning, Piripavel delivered a single that would score Dunleavy to trim the deficit to 6-5.
Chestnut Hill added an insurance run in the top of the eighth to take a 7-5 advantage. The Griffins loaded the bases on three walks, but graduate student
Brett Lubreski rolled a pair of fielder's choices to limit the damage. With one out in the bottom half of the inning, Kauffman raced to third for a triple before being driven in on a single from freshman
Jeremy Piatkiewicz to make the score 7-6.
With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Warriors were able to advance Bromirski to second but were unable to produce the game-tying run.
Redshirt sophomore
Scott Shamany (0-1) was handed the loss for the Warriors after allowing two runs through one-plus innings of work. Dunleavy opened the game for ESU, pitched two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit to go along with a pair of strikeouts.
Up Next
The Warriors begin PSAC play on Friday when they head to Shippensburg for a doubleheader. First pitch is set for 12 p.m. at Fairchild Field.
ESU will return home on Saturday as they welcome the Raiders for a twin bill beginning at 12 p.m. from Creekview Park.
