Box Score

LANCASTER, Pa. - Shippensburg senior Justin Garber was 3-for-5 on Friday afternoon at Clipper Magazine Stadium and tied the school record for hits in a season, but the Red Raider baseball team could not maintain an 8-6 lead and fell in 10 innings to Millersville, the No. 1 seed from the Eastern Division, by a score of 13-8 in Game 8 of the 2008 PSAC Baseball Tournament.

Shippensburg (34-23) remains in contention for a berth in the NCAA North Atlantic Regional Tournament, as the Red Raiders were ranked fourth in the latest poll issued yesterday. Friday's defeat, however, marks the most runs scored in a defeat this season for Shippensburg. The Red Raiders had been 24-0 this season when scoring at least six runs in a game.

Garber's 91 hits this season ties the record set by Chad Stecker '05, who finished the 2004 season with a .421 average in 216 at-bats. In 207 at-bats this season, Garber has totaled a .440 batting average, which ranks him third in school history for a single season behind Dale Delise '78 (.475 in 1978) and Jeff Teeter '89 (.441 in 1988). Garber's start in center field tonight also ties him with Stecker for the school record in games played with 196. 

Junior Tyler Redick was 4-for-5 in the game with a walk and two runs and has totaled 82 hits in 217 at-bats, matching Garber's total that he recorded as a junior one season ago. Through three seasons at Shippensburg, Redick has totaled 199 career hits, which is 75 behind the school record of 274 currently held by Garber.

After Millersville opened the scoring off senior Brandon Geib with a run in the top of the first inning, Garber began a three-run rally for the Red Raiders in the bottom of the first with a single into right field. With the bases loaded and none out, sophomore Kevin Scholly smacked a two-run single through the left side while junior Kasey Kuhns later added a sacrifice fly. 

The hectic offensive pace was maintained through the first four innings, as Millersville and Shippensburg combined to plate at least one run in each of the first seven team at-bats of the game. The Marauders tied the game in the top of the second inning, but Garber crushed a fastball onto the hill in left field for his seventh home run of the season that brought the lead back to the Red Raiders, 4-3.

Millersville re-gained the lead in the top of the third on a two-run single from Kent Gerdes, yet sophomore Rick Shumway doubled and came around to score on an RBI-groundout from sophomore Ashton Taughinbaugh that left the score at 5-5 through the first three innings.

Trailing 6-5 in the bottom of the fifth, the Red Raiders scored three runs with two outs to give them an 8-6 lead. Kuhns earned his second RBI of the game on a single up the middle that scored Redick, and junior Sean Killian singled to left field and scored Shumway. An RBI-single from senior Eric Dezell scored Kuhns to cap off the inning.

Freshman Shane Barrett delivered the most important performance of his young career for Shippensburg in the game, entering in the fourth inning in place of Geib and nearly propelling the Red Raiders further in the tournament. After allowing a run in the sixth inning and loading the bases with one out, Barrett escaped a crucial jam by striking out the next two batters looking to keep the lead in favor of Shippensburg.

After getting the first two outs of the ninth inning, Enrique Arroyo drew a four-pitch walk and stole second base. Gerdes followed with an RBI-single up the middle that brought home Arroyo to tie the game at 8-8, and Barrett was replaced after allowing six hits and three runs while tying his career high with 5.2 innings and striking out six. Shippensburg entered this game with a 29-2 record this season when leading after six innings. 

Senior Kyle Warner finished the ninth for Shippensburg but ran into trouble in the 10th inning. With runners on first and third with one out, a safety squeeze from Cody Wile went for a hit and scored Corey Phelan to give Millersville the lead. After Brett Rhoads narrowly beat out a potential inning-ending double play grounder, Millersville strung together four more runs off Warner and Redick, highlighted by a two-run single from Gerdes. The Marauder right fielder finished the game 3-for-5 with a walk and five RBIs.

Warner earned his first loss of the season, while Andrew Clemens pitched 3.1 innings of shutout relief for his fourth victory of the season.

For the latest information on the Shippensburg University baseball team, be sure to check out the newly refurbished Red Raider Athletics Web site at www.shipraiders.com.