EAST STROUDSBURG – Chase Nowak dazzled in the PSAC East series opener, tossing his third career complete game shutout to lift the 9th/14th-ranked East Stroudsburg University baseball team past #5/#8 Millersville, 2-0, on Friday afternoon at Creekview Park.
The Warriors stretched their win streak to nine games, pushing their overall record to 27-4 and 9-1 in the conference while the Marauders drop to 25-5 on the season and 9-1 in the PSAC East. Both teams now sit at the top of the PSAC East standings headed into tomorrow's twin bill at Cooper Park.
The reining PSAC East and NCBWA Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Week allowed just four hits and two walks while striking out nine, lowering his ERA to a spectacular 1.41 this season and improving his record to 8-1 over 51.0 innings of work.
With two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth inning, redshirt junior
Tim Haverstick delivered an RBI single to drive in the only two runs of the game.
Notables
- Haverstick finished 1-for-3 with a pair of RBI and redshirt freshman Parker Frey went a perfect 3-for-3 with three singles and one run scored
- Sophomore Matt Ervolina (1-for-4) and graduate student Victor Cruz (1-for-3, one run) also collected hits for ESU
- Dating back to 2002, Nowak becomes the first pitcher to fire a 9.0 inning, complete game shutout
- Today's game was the first match-up of two PSAC teams ranked in the top 10 since 2015
- ESU came into today's contest ranked second in NCAA Division II for steals (132) and ERA (2.76), but lowered that number this afternoon to 2.66
- In this week's polls, the Warriors moved up one spot to No. 9 in the College Baseball Division Top 30 and to No. 14 in the NCBWA Top 25. ESU held steady at No. 2 in the NCBWA Atlantic Region Poll with one first-place vote and was No. 9 in the Perfect Game Top 25.
How it Happened – ESU 2, Millersville 0
The Warriors put together a two-out rally in the bottom of the fourth inning as Haverstick delivered a clutch two-run single to give ESU a 2-0 lead. ESU loaded the bases on a single from Frey, a base hit up the middle from Cruz and a walk to Piatkiewicz.
Up Next
The Warriors close out the series tomorrow against No. 5 Millersville with a doubleheader beginning at noon from Cooper Park
