EAST STROUDSBURG – The 20th-ranked East Stroudsburg University baseball team got back on track on Friday afternoon as the Warriors swept Kutztown, 10-1 and 7-5, in a PSAC East doubleheader on Senior Day at Creekview Park.  

Prior to today's twin bill, the Warriors honored seniors JP Nolan, Scott Shamany, Logan Stirr, Victor Cruz, Chase Nowak, Mike Yates and Jake Packer.

Winning the final two games of the series, the Warriors improved to 33-10 on the season and 14-7 in the PSAC East, while the Golden Bears dropped to 25-17 overall and 11-10 in the conference.
 

Notables

• Cruz helped pace the Warriors offensively, going 4-for-7 with his second home run of the season as well three RBI, two runs and a trio of stolen bases
• Matt Ervolina hit 2-for-5 and was plunked twice to go along with four runs scored and four stolen bases. Ervolina is 34-for-40 in stolen bases and is three shy of breaking the school record of 36 set by Ian Allen in 2016.
• Sophomore Jack Rothenhausler went 3-for-8 with a pair of doubles and two runs scored while Mike Kelly was 3-for-5 with a walk, one RBI, two runs and three stolen bases
• Starting both games of the double header, freshman Shanley Wall recorded two hits and two runs, while Tim Haverstick went 3-for-6 with one RBI and one run
• Cameron Hubbard finished the twin bill 1-for-4 with a double, two walks, three RBI and Jeremy Piaktiewicz drove in three runs and scored once
• Junior Tom Reisinger (5-2) was lights out in the opener for the Warriors, pitching 5.1 scoreless innings in which he allowed three hits and two walks while striking out seven. Shamany and Nolan combined to pitch the final 1.2 innings, recording a trio of punch outs.
• Redshirt junior Brent Francisco (8-3) returned to form in the series finale, firing 6.0 innings, yielding one run on four hits to go along with seven strikeouts. Nick McAuliffe (1.0 inning) and Yates (2.0 innings) closed out the game for the Warriors.
• The Warriors finished the afternoon 12-of-14 on stolen bases to push their single-season record total to 165.
• In this week's polls, the Warriors were receiving votes in the NCBWA Top 25 and No. 4 in the NCBWA Atlantic Region Poll. ESU was ranked No. 20 in the Collegiate Baseball Division II Poll and as high as No. 8 in the Perfect Game Top 25.

How it Happened – ESU 10, Kutztown 1 (Game One)
ESU struck first in their opening at-bats using a pair of hits and a walk to take a 1-0 lead. The bases were loaded on a single by Ervolina, a free pass to Hubbard and a base hit from Rothenhausler, before Stirr delivered an RBI ground out to put the Warriors ahead.

In the bottom of the second inning, the Warriors got their first three hitters aboard to help extend their advantage to 3-0 over the Golden Bears. Haverstick singled, Wall doubled, and Kelly walked, which set up Piatkiewicz for an RBI ground out to make the score 2-0. Wall extended ESU's lead to three runs after the freshman raced home on a wild pitch.

With the help of a Kutztown error in the bottom of the fourth inning, ESU tacked on two additional runs to stretch their edge to 5-0. Kelly got the Warriors started with a single and Ervolina followed by getting hit by a pitch. With Kelly racing to third on a steal, the throw by the Golden Bears' catcher bounced into left field which allowed the junior to score. Standing on second, Ervolina swiped third base and ultimately crossed home plate on a sacrifice fly from Hubbard.

The Warriors doubled their lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, scratching across five runs on four hits to make the score 10-0. Cruz doubled in the first run of the frame and Piatkiewicz drove in a pair on a triple to put ESU in front 8-0. Piatkiewicz raced home on a wild pitch and Ervolina came around to cross home plate following a walk to put ESU up by 10 runs.

In their last at-bats, the Golden Bears broke the Warriors' shutout as Brian Finn crossed home plate on a wild pitch to make the final score 10-1.

How it Happened – ESU 7, Kutztown 5 (Game Two)
The Warriors opened up a 1-0 lead over Kutztown in the bottom of the second inning as Rothenhausler led off with a double before coming around to score as Cruz followed with an RBI single.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, ESU produced two runs on two hits to extend their advantage to 3-0. Rothenhausler started the frame with a double and advanced to third on a passed ball. After Cruz worked a walk and swiped second bases, Rothenhausler scampered home on an infield single from Kelly to make the score 2-0. Haverstick would follow with a sacrifice fly to right field to plate the Warriors third run.

ESU pushed their lead to 5-0 over Kutztown in the home half of the fifth inning as Hubbard delivered a one out two-run double. The junior drove in Piripavel, who worked a leadoff walk and Ervolina, who was plunked by a pitch.

The Golden Bears put together a two out rally in the top of the sixth inning as Jason Wolff doubled to left field before racing home on a single from Antonio Rossillo to make the score 5-1.

ESU got the runs right back in the bottom half of the inning as Cruz began the frame with a solo home run over the right center field fence, before Wall delivered a sacrifice fly to put the Warriors back ahead by six runs at 7-1.

Kutztown chipped away at their deficit in the top of the eighth inning as the Golden Bears had runners on second and third before a wild pitch allowed Wolff to make the score 7-2.

In the top of the ninth inning, Kutztown wouldn't go down without a fight as the Golden Bears pushed across three runs on three hits to make the final tally 7-5 in favor of ESU. The Golden Bears brought the tying run to the plate with only one out, but the Warriors turned a double play to end the game.

Up Next
ESU has a busy final week of the regular season as the Warriors travel to Felician on Tuesday for a non-conference game at 3 p.m. from Breslin Field
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