Game 1
Game 2

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - Adam Links went 4-for-6 with four RBIs while Andrew Rafalski pitched a complete game shutout to lead California (Pa.) to a key PSAC Western Division doubleheader sweep over Shippensburg Friday afternoon at Fairchild Field, 3-0 and 5-4.

The Red Raiders (27-20, 8-6 PSAC West) have now dropped eight of their last 11 games, including four of their six division contests. Shippensburg is currently in a tie for third place in the PSAC Western Division with Indiana (Pa.) who was also swept at home on Friday by Slippery Rock.

Meanwhile, the Vulcans (25-11, 11-3 PSAC West) extended their lead atop the PSAC Western Division to two games over The Rock and three over Shippensburg and IUP.

The top three teams advance to the 2008 PSAC Baseball Championship later this month at Clipper Magazine Stadium in Lancaster.

The story in game one was the pitching of Rafalski who out-dueled Red Raider junior Matt Wright who was replaced for the first time in his last five starts and suffered his first defeat since March 29 against Slippery Rock.

Rafalski did not record a strikeout, but scattered six Shippensburg hits while holding the Red Raiders to 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

Meanwhile, Wright totaled eight strikeouts to pass Randy Dicken '04 for second place on the school's single-season list with 106. In doing so, Wright became just the third Red Raider to reach 100 strikeouts in a season, leaving him seven shy of tying Evan Englebrook '04 for the school record.

The school's career strikeout leader, Wright improved his three-year total to 288, leaving him just eight shy of tying Tim Bausher of Kutztown (1998-2001) for third on the all-time PSAC list.

Senior Kyle Warner replaced Wright in the top of the seventh, making his 12th appearance of the season, but just his first at home.

Links drove in all three runs for California (Pa.) in game one, scoring Stephen Hermann with a sacrifice fly in the fourth before hitting a two-run single in the sixth to score Robert Hedrick and Sam Dimatteo. Links finished the game 1-for-2 with three RBIs to lead the Vulcans who scored three runs on just five hits while committing three errors.

For Shippensburg, senior Justin Garber totaled his team-leading 26th multi-hit game of the season, going 2-for-3. Senior Eric Dezell was 1-for-3 and had the Red Raiders only extra-base hit of the game with a double to right center with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.

Shippensburg jumped out to a 2-0 lead in game two after a two-run single to center by junior Kasey Kuhns but after scoring two runs on two hits, were limited to just one over the next four innings. During that time, Jon Squeglia surrendered a lead-off single to Red Raider junior Sean Killian in the bottom of the third before retiring the next 12 batters he faced while the Vulcans built a 5-2 lead.

Trailing by three in the sixth, Shippensburg managed to breakthrough against Squeglia, scoring two runs on three consecutive singles and a wild pitch before he was replaced by John Sklarsky.

Despite retiring just one of three batters he faced and hitting the other two by pitch, Sklarsky earned a hold, preserving the one-run lead before Hedrick moved from shortstop to the pitcher's mound to record the final two outs on just one pitch after Dezell grounded into a double play with the bases loaded.

A key moment in the game came in the fourth inning when Kuhns appeared to have given Shippensburg a 3-2 lead with a lead-off, solo home run down the left field line, only to have the home plate umpire call the ball foul after Kuhns rounded second base.

The run not only would have given the Red Raiders the lead, but more importantly, after a three-run fifth inning by California (Pa.), would have been the game-tying run that would have forced extra innings.

Junior Tyler Redick, who is second on the team behind Garber with 23 multi-hit games, went 2-for-4 with two runs while Kuhns was 1-for-3 with two RBIs. Sophomore Rick Shumway also drove in a run for Shippensburg, finishing the game 1-for-3.

The Vulcans and Red Raiders will conclude their four-game series on Sunday with a doubleheader at CONSOL Energy Park in Washington, Pa. First pitch is at 1:00 p.m.