EAST STROUDSBURG – Behind dominate pitching and an offensive explosion in game two, the 11th/14th-ranked East Stroudsburg University baseball team swept Shippensburg in a PSAC East twin bill on Friday at Creekview Park.
The Warriors (20-4, 4-1 PSAC E) shut out the Raiders (16-11, 4-4 PSAC E), 2-0, in the opener before scoring 17 unanswered runs in game two to earn the 17-1 victory.
Graduate student
Chase Nowak went 5.0 scoreless innings in game one, scattering three hits and striking out one while redshirt junior
Brent Francisco capped off the afternoon with 7.0 innings, allowing one run on nine hits to go along with six punch outs. The duo both improved to 6-1 on the season.
Notables
- Redshirt junior Ben Piripavel finished the twin bill 3-for-7 with one walk, stolen base, RBI and run scored a piece
- The one-two punch of Piripavel and Matt Ervolina continued its impact as the junior went 3-for-7, which included his first home run of the season as well as four RBI, three runs and a pair of stolen bases
- Mike Kelly has brilliant at turning the lineup over as the junior was 3-for-4 with three runs, three stolen bases, two free passes and one RBI
- After his 18-game on-base streak and 11-game hit streak came to an end, sophomore Jack Rothenhausler responded by going 3-for-4 with three RBI and one run scored in game two
- Recording RBI in game two for ESU was Jeremy Piatkiewicz (2), Jack Chapman (1), Logan Stirr (1), Shanley Wall (1), Tanner Vicendese (1) and Tommy Ajjan (1)
- Redshirt junior Owen Christy recorded his first hit wearing the red and black
- Francisco lowered his ESU to 1.60 over 39.1 innings over work, while Nowak dropped his ERA to 1.80 across 35.0 innings pitched
- Mike Yates was brilliant once again as the redshirt season pitched the final 2.0 innings of game one, striking out a pair to record his third save of the season. Yates made his 55th career appearance, which ranks fifth all-time and his sixth save is the seventh most in program history.
- Freshman Jaden Newton bounced back in game two, firing 2.0 innings in relief while striking out two Raiders
- The Warriors tallied eight stolen bases in the doubleheader, increasing their season total to 92. Coming into the day, ESU were ranked seventh in NCAA Division II
- 17 runs was the most ESU has recorded against a PSAC East opponent since 2021, when the Warriors plated 16 at Mansfield
- In this week's rankings, ESU was No. 2 in the NCBWA Atlantic Region Poll and ascended to No. 14 in the NCBWA Top 25. The Warriors slide up to No. 11 in the College Baseball Division II Top 25 and were ranked as high as No. 9 by Perfect Game.
How it Happened – ESU 2, Shippensburg 0 (Game One)
The Warriors struck first, taking advantage of a leadoff single from Kelly and a Raiders' error in the bottom of the third inning to grab a 1-0 lead. Kelly advanced to second on a stolen base, raced to third after the ball bounced into center field and came around to score on a RBI single off the bat of Piripavel.
ESU extended their advantage to 2-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning as Ervolina added an insurance run on a solo blast over the left field fence.
How it Happened – ESU 17, Shippensburg 1 (Game Two)
Shippensburg put together a two-out rally in the top of the second inning to take a 1-0 lead over the Warriors. Brock Piper got the Raiders started with a double before back-to-back infield singles from Sawyer Whitaker and Tony Falvo plated a run.
The Warriors offense exploded in the bottom of the third inning, plating six runs on four hits and two Shippensburg errors to take a 6-1 lead. Piatkiewicz got ESU started with a walk before advancing to third on a stolen base and a dropped ball by the Raiders' first baseman. With runners on the corners, Kelly recorded a RBI base hit to tie the game at 1-1. After Piripavel singled to load the bases, Ervolina delivered a two-run base knock to put the Warriors ahead 3-1. Piripavel scampered home for the fourth run, and with runners in scoring position, Rothenhausler capped of the frame with a two-run single.
With two outs in the in the home half of the fifth inning, ESU stretched their edge to 7-1 over the Raiders as Wall stole second and ultimately raced home on a pair of wild pitches.
ESU kept their foot on the gas, adding four runs on two hits in the bottom of the sixth inning to increase their lead to 10-1. With Kelly standing on third after a leadoff walk, Ervolina collected a RBI on a single to make the score 8-1. After Ervolina stole second and third base with two outs, Rothenhausler delivered a run-scoring base hit to put ESU up 9-1. Then with the bases loaded, Piatkiewicz drove in a run after getting plunked, and Wall added to the Warriors' advantage after scoring on a wild pitch.
The Warriors put the game out of reach in their last at-bats, plating six runs on four hits to make the final score 17-1 in favor of ESU. Notching RBI in the bottom of the eighth inning was Piatkiewicz, Chapman, Vicendese, Stirr, Ajjan and Wall.
Up Next
ESU closes out the series on Sunday with a single nine-inning game against the Raiders at 1 p.m. from Fairchild Field
