EAST STROUDSBURG – Trailing 1-0 after the third inning, the 10th/15th-ranked East Stroudsburg University baseball team scored seven unanswered runs to defeat Mansfield, 7-1, in the PSAC East series opener on Friday afternoon at Creekview Park.
The Warriors ripped off their fourth straight victory to move to 22-4 overall and 6-1 in the PSAC East while the Mounties dropped their 11th consecutive game, sliding to 5-16 on the season and 0-10 in the conference.
Chase Nowak twirled another gem as the graduate student pitched 7.0 innings, surrendering one run on six hits to go along with a season-high 11 strikeouts. The Wilkes-Barre native improved his recorded to 7-1 and boasts an impressive 1.71 ERA over 42.0 innings of work.
Notables
- Redshirt junior Tim Haverstick recorded half of ESU hits, going 3-for-4 with a RBI and one run scored
- Ben Piripavel (1-for-5) drove in a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and scored a run
- Juniors Cameron Hubbard and Jeremy Piatkiewicz had identical stat lines as the duo both finished 1-for-3 with one walk, RBI and run scored a piece
- Graduate student Victor Cruz (0-for-2, one walk, one run) drove in the Warriors' first run during the bottom of the fourth inning
- Junior Mike Kelly (one walk) and redshirt freshman Parker Frey (three walks) each scored a run for ESU
- Nick McAuliffe and Jaden Newton (two strikeouts) both fired scoreless innings in relief
- Ranking fifth in NCAA Division II for stolen bases, ESU went 9-for-10 which increased their season total to 108. Swiping a bag today for the Warriors was Piripavel (2), Cruz (2), Piatkiewicz (1), Kelly (1) Jack Rothenhausler (1) and Tanner Vicendese (1).
- Coming into the game with the second-best ERA in the country, that number continued to drop for the Warriors going to 2.68 over 205.0 innings pitched
- In this week's rankings, ESU remained at No. 2 in the NCBWA Atlantic Region Poll, while receiving a first-place vote and fell one spot to No. 15 in the NCBWA Top 25. The Warriors moved up to No. 10 in the College Baseball Division II Top 25 and were ranked as high as No. 9 by Perfect Game.
How it Happened – ESU 7, Mansfield 1
The Mounties struck first in the top of the third inning as Zach Spray came around to score following a lead off double to give Mansfield a 1-0 advantage. Spray advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and crossed home plate on an RBI single from Brett Stewart.
ESU got on the board in the home half of the fourth inning, using one hit and two Mansfield errors to grab a 2-1 lead. Hubbard reached on a miscue by Mounties shortstop before advancing to third following a stolen base and a throw that ended up in center field. After Frey walk and moved to second on a passed ball, Cruz delivered a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 1-1. Piatkiewicz followed by drawing a free pass and on the second pitch of the at-bat to Haverstick, Frey raced home on a passed ball to put the Warriors ahead.
The Warriors stretched their lead to 5-1 over Mansfield in the bottom of the seventh inning as Piripavel drove in a pair while Hubbard recorded an RBI base hit. The table was set for the Piripavel after Haverstick led off the frame with a single and Kelly reached on a throwing error by the Mounties, which put both runners in scoring position. Piripavel ultimately crossed home plate on the single from Hubbard after stealing second and third base.
In the home half of the eighth inning, the Warriors added a pair of insurance runs to make the final score 7-1. Cruz started the frame with a walk and scampered to second as the pitch caromed around the back stop. The graduate student would then come around to score on a double from Piatkiewicz that dropped inside the right field line. After stealing third, Piatkiewicz crossed home plate on an RBI base hit from Haverstick.
Up Next
ESU and Mansfield are scheduled to continue the series on Sunday as the teams will play a doubleheader beginning at noon from Joseph Shaute Field
