GREENSBURG – The third-seeded East Stroudsburg University baseball team saw its 2023 season come to an end as the Warriors fell, 10-4, to No. 2 seed Seton Hill on Saturday in the Atlantic Regional at the SHU Baseball Complex.
Reaching the 30-win mark for the sixth time in the last 10 seasons, the Warriors finished 36-14 overall while the Griffins (46-11) advanced to face Mercyhurst on Sunday at 11 a.m.
ESU got off to their best 30-game start in program history and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back years for the first time ever and sixth time overall (1985, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2022, 2023).
Notables
- Parker Fry continued his impressive run in the Atlantic Regional as the redshirt freshman finished 2-for-3 with a double, a triple, two RBI and a run scored
- Jack Rothenhausler went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and a run, Cameron Hubbard added a hit and run scored, while Tim Haverstick contributed a single and RBI
- Playing in his final game for the Warriors, Victor Cruz was 1-for-4 and scored a run
- Brent Francisco (8-4) suffered the loss after yielding four runs on six hits to go along with four strikeouts. Making their final appearances out of the bullpen for ESU were Mike Yates (1.1 IP, two runs, two hits), JP Nolan (1.0 IP, one strikeout) and Scott Shamany (0.2 IP, one hit)
- The 2023 season was remarkable for ESU, setting single-season school records for stolen bases (184), stolen bases per game (3.68) and fielding percentage (.979). The Warriors pitching staff ranked among the nation's best in ERA all year, finishing at 3.24, which ranks second lowest all-time in program history since 1980
- ESU featured a three-headed monster on the base paths with Matt Ervolina setting the single-season record with 37 steals while Mike Kelly (32) and Ben Piripavel (31) rank fifth and tied for sixth respectively
- Wrapping up his 16th season as the Warriors' head coach, John Kochmansky holds a 446-292-5 record
- The Warriors dropped to 10-13 all-time in the NCAA Tournament
How it Happened – Seton Hill 10, ESU 4
After a scoreless first three innings, ESU got on the board in the top of the fourth as a pair of hits and a walk led to two runs. Hubbard led off with a single and Rothenhausler worked a free pass before Frey tripled down the right field line to put the Warriors ahead 2-0.
The Griffins broke through in the bottom of the fifth inning, plating six runs on five hits to grab a 6-2 lead. After a pair of RBI singles from Vincenzo Rauso and Jack Oberdorf tied it up, a walk loaded the bases and Owen Sabol followed with a grand slam to left field to put Seton Hill in front for the first time.
ESU answered in the top of the sixth inning, producing two runs on four hits which cut their deficit in half to 6-4. With two outs and runners on the corners, Haverstick punched a run-scoring single into right field while Piatkiewicz followed with a RBI base hit.
Seton Hill responded in the home half of the inning, scoring three times on four hits to push their advantage back to 9-4. Jack Whalen tripled home a pair of runs and Rauso recorded a RBI single.
The Griffins added an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh inning as Noah Sweeney collected a RBI on a fielder's choice to make the score 10-4.
Up Next
The Warriors turn their attention to the 2024 season next spring
