ALLENTOWN – Millersville took both ends of Thursday's PSAC East baseball doubleheader over East Stroudsburg University in a matchup of top-20 teams in the D2 Baseball Poll on Thursday at Coca-Cola Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies' Triple A affiliate Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
ESU (35-11, 19-7) had a seventh-inning rally come up one hit short in the nightcap, falling 11-3 and 4-3, as Millersville (36-7, 22-4) secured the top record in the PSAC East on the final weekend of the regular season. The Marauders will host the second half of the series on Friday at 4 p.m. at Cooper Park, and ESU will return to Millersville again next week (pre-determined site) for the PSAC Tournament as the No. 2 seed in the PSAC East.
Redshirt junior first baseman
Parker Frey had six of ESU's 11 hits in the doubleheader, going 3-for-4 in both games. He had two doubles and three RBI in game one, and added another double in game two.
Senior third baseman
Jack Rothenhausler reached base in six of his eight plate appearances, going 1-for-2 with two walks in both games. He hit his ninth home run of the season and the 24th of his career in the seventh inning of the nightcap to pull the Warriors within a run.
ESU entered the weekend needing to win three-of-four to claim the PSAC East's No. 1 seed. In the NCAA DII Atlantic Region rankings released this week, Millersville, West Chester and ESU give the PSAC East the top three spots.
Batting Notables
* Frey had 3 of ESU's 4 hits in game 1, with a two-out, two-RBI double in the first inning, a leadoff double in the sixth, and an RBI single in the seventh.
* The Warriors worked 13 total walks in the twinbill.
* Rothenhausler, who set ESU career records for total bases and times reached base last weekend, now has 365 total bases and has reached base safely 345 times in his four-year career. He also extended his career home run record to 24.
* Redshirt junior
Walker Zampella was 2-for-4 in game two and had his 30th stolen base of the season.
Pitching Notables
* Freshman
Cole Dymek threw 3.2 innings of scoreless relief in the nightcap with four strikeouts, three walks and just one hit allowed.
* Sophomore left-hander
Peyton Brannock made his 10th start of the year and fell to 6-2 (3.1 IP, 4 runs, 2 strikeouts, 4 walks, 6 hits).
* ESU used six pitchers in the opener, with junior
Ryan Dewees falling to 7-2 in his 12th start.
How it Happened (Game 1) – Millersville 11, ESU 3
* Millersville led 4-2 after the first inning and added on with a pair of three-run innings in the 4th and 7th.
* Matthew Williams was 3-for-5 and hit a 3-run homer in the 4th. Sam Morris hit a solo homer to finish the Marauders' four-run 1st.
* Frey doubled home redshirt senior
Dennis Pierce and redshirt sophomore
Chaise Albus in ESU's half of the first. Connor Blantz (6-1) held the Warriors off the board from that point, going 4.2 innings (2 runs, 1 earned, 2 hits).
How it Happened (Game 2) – Millersville 4, ESU 3
* The Warriors trailed 4-2 going to the bottom of the 7th when Rothenhausler homered with one out. Zampella had a two-out single and stole second, but Gavin Lill (7th save) got a popout to finish the game.
* Frey had an RBI single to score Rothenhausler to get within 2-1 in the 3rd inning, and freshman
Easton Albert lifted a sacrifice fly after Rothenhausler walked and Frey doubled to make it 4-2 in the 5th.
* Millersville scored twice in both the 2nd and 4th frames. Keegan Soltis (4-for-6, 2 walks on the day) had the key hit with a two-run single in the 4th.
* ESU left the bases loaded in the 2nd and 3rd innings as Conor Cook (3.0 IP, 1 run, 3 hits, 5 walks) worked into and out of a pair of jams. Evan Rishell (1-1) threw 3.2 innings of two-run relief before Lill faced the final two batters and notched the save.
