Shippensburg University’s baseball team dropped its series to No. 28 East Stroudsburg this weekend, losing two out of three games.

The Raiders lost the first game of the series on Friday at Creekview Park in East Stroudsburg 7-5.

Redshirt-junior Nick Zegna took the mound for the Raiders in Game One and pitched well through the first five innings, allowing just a solo home run.

The Warriors bats came alive in the sixth inning, however, as ESU got seven hits in the inning and scored five runs. The rally flipped a 2-1 Shippensburg lead into a 6-2 deficit. 

All nine Raiders in the starting lineup got a hit in Game One. Junior Justin Darden led the way going 2-3 with a solo home run and a walk. Sophomore Andrew Chronister had two hits and an RBI.

On Saturday, the series moved to Fairchild Field in Shippensburg for a doubleheader to close out the series. SU took the first game of the doubleheader 5-2.

ESU scored a run in each of the first two innings to jump out to a 2-0 lead but would fail to cross the plate again. The Raiders tied the game at two all in the fourth inning behind an RBI-groundout from Chronister and an RBI-single by senior Ben Werkheiser.

The Raiders created the final scoring margin in the fifth inning as they plated three runs in a two-out rally. Darden started it off by drawing a walk with the bases loaded to make it 3-2, and two pitches later Chronister scored two more with a single to center field.

Sophomore Jackson LoBianco got the win in relief for SU after throwing three scoreless innings to close it out.

In the final game of the series, the Warriors capitalized on the Raiders mistakes to win the match 4-2. 

ESU scored its first two runs of the game without a hit, as Brainy Rojas stole second base in the third and an error on the throw attempt allowed Cooper Gehring to score. Tommy Dunleavy would score on a wild pitch in the fifth inning to make it 2-0 Warriors.

The Raiders would respond as graduate Juju Cason rocketed a double down the third base line to score sophomore Jafari Williams and redshirt-sophomore Justin Byler.

ESU would regain the lead in the seventh inning as Rojas singled to score Dunleavy and an error on the same play allowed Jeremy Piatkiewicz to cross the plate as well, giving the Warriors a 4-2 lead which would prove to be the final score.

Sophomore Gabe Stotler got the start and threw five innings allowing two runs on four hits with two walks and strikeouts each.

The Raiders will return to the field on Friday to begin a three-game series with Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East rival Shepherd University.

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