The sun was shining and a cold breeze blew during a chilly Sunday afternoon as the Raiders squared off against the Mansfield Mountaineers in a double-header at Fairchild Field.
Despite being the away team even though both games were contested in Shippensburg (Mansfield’s Shaute Field is currently unplayable), the Raiders (6-12, 3-3 PSAC East) swept the Mountaineers in a doubleheader, winning the first matchup 5-1 and second game 13-9.
“Guys did a good job today,” remarked Raiders Head Matt Jones after his team’s two victories. “We got back to .500 in the conference, which is where we want to be. Hopefully we can build on it tomorrow.”
Game 1:
The Raiders got a dominant performance from Pitcher Marcus Shippey who struck out 11 batters as the Raiders defeated the Mountaineers 5-1 in the first game of a double header.
“It was just numen on the fastball today,” said Shippey after the complete-game victory. “They just couldn’t seem to hit it and it ended up working for me.”
The Raiders trailed 1-0 five inning in, until a three-run surge in the sixth and an additional two runs in the seventh.
With the base loaded in the sixth and two outs, third-baseman Ryan McMillen singled and scored Austin Allison and catcher Jake Kennedy in the process.
Freshman Dalton Hoiles drew a bases-loaded walk in the seventh and next batter up senior Cody Ezolt struck out swinging but advanced to first on a wild pitch that allowed junior Mike Marcinko to score.
Game 2:
The Raiders’ momentum from a decisive victory carried over to the second game as they finished with a season-high 18 hits on a way to a 13-9 victory over Mansfield.
Shippensburg scored in every inning and out-hit the Mountaineers 18-to-14 and was an offensive juggernaut all game, largely in part due to the strong performance of junior Mike Marcinko.
Marcinko finished the game 4-for-4 from the plate with 4 RBI’s, including a three-run home run over the left-field wall in the third inning.
“I knew he was probably going to try a fastball in on me and I shortened up and got it,” said Marcinko on his home run after the game. “It felt pretty good coming off the bat.”
Junior Austin Allison finished the game 4-for-5 hitting and 3 RBI’s, including a two-run homer over the right field fence in the first inning.
The Raiders have a double-header rematch with Mansfield at 1 p.m. Monday at Fairchild Field.
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