The Shippensburg University baseball team hit the road Saturday afternoon to play Slippery Rock University.
The Raiders dropped the first game, 5–4, but picked up a victory in Game 2, 6–5. Both games went into extra innings, putting the pressure on the bullpens to close out the games.
Game 1:
Marcus Shippey was given the nod for Game 1 against SRU. Shippey went seven and two-thirds, striking out seven and allowing two runs.
The game was a pitching duel to start as both teams went scoreless through four innings.
In the fifth inning, Pat Kregeloh plated two with a single to right field off SRU pitcher Kyle Schneider, giving the Raiders their first lead of the game. The game remained scoreless until the eighth inning.
SU’s Austin Allison was able to get on base after singling to the shortstop, scoring Jimmy Spanos.
The next Raider batter, Ryan McMillen, knocked a single, which scored Kregeloh who reached on a single earlier in the inning. SU took a 4–0 lead into the bottom of the eighth.
The Rock started their rally when they picked up a run off a passed ball from Shippey.
SRU picked up two more runs in the inning off a two-run single by Brandon Myers which was given up by Raider relief pitcher Josh Kutchey.
SRU tied the game in the bottom of the ninth off a two-out home run blast by Rock catcher Alex Bell, tying the game at 4. The Raiders hunkered down and sent the game into extra innings.
In the 11th inning, SRU’s Bell was at it again. This time the catcher was able to single to left field off Raider pitcher Shawn Patterson, driving in the game-winning run. Patterson was given the loss while SRU pitcher John Kovalik received the win.
Game 2:
SU did not waste much time getting to work in the second game of the day against The Rock.
Mike Marcinko drove in the game’s first run off SRU starting pitcher Jon Anderson, giving the Raiders an early but short-lived lead.
SRU responded in the bottom of the first when Adam Urbania reached second on a single and throwing error, scoring Will Kengor. Urbania later scored off a Kyle Vozar fly out to right field.
SU’s starting pitcher, Mark Curtis, settled down and threw a scoreless four innings before giving up a one-run single in the bottom of the fifth to Bell.
The Raiders were able to plate two runs in the fourth inning.
Allison recorded one of the RBI when he knocked in Jake Kennedy. SU’s next batter, McMillen, was able to drive in Cody Ezolt on a single to center after Ezolt doubled to left field earlier in the inning.
The Raiders took the game to extra innings as Kyle McClintock kept The Rock batters at bay.
The Raiders took the lead in the top of the eighth inning when Ezolt drove in a big two-run single. Ezolt scored later in the inning on a single from Michael Douglas, giving the Raiders a 6–3 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth.
SU brought in closer Austin Bartley to finish the game.
Bartley was tried early but was able to close out the game after SRU plated two runs before flying out to end game two.
McClintock picked up his first win of the season while Bartley picked up his third save of the year.
SU improved its record to 5–3 on the season after the win against SRU.
The Raiders now face Indiana University of Pennsylvania on Sunday at Harford Community College in Maryland. SU is scheduled to play a double header with the first pitch being thrown at 4 p.m.
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