Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

With a five-RBI, two-home run performance from junior first baseman Pat Kregeloh in Tuesday's nightcap, the No. 12 Shippensburg University baseball team salvaged a road doubleheader split with No. 18 Catawba from Newman Park in Salisbury, N.C.

The Raiders (13-4) exploded for a season-high 14 runs in a 14-4 Game 2 win after accruing just six hits en route to dropping the opener by a 6-2 margin.

Kregeloh hit his team-leading third and fourth home runs of the season in back-to-back innings in the second game, with each landing in the trees beyond the left-field fence. He hit a two-run shot in a six-run SU third inning before hitting a three-run blast as part of four runs in the next frame. Both homers came on the first pitch he saw in the at-bat.

Senior left fielder Simon Beloff went 3-for-4 in the win while senior catcher Tyler Shover batted 2-for-5 with two runs driven in.

The offensive explosion supported freshman pitcher Rich Michaud, who earned the victory in his first career start, throwing five innings while giving up four runs on five hits. Junior Austin Bartley pitched the final two innings and gave up three hits and fanned two.

Freshman Kyle McClintock also earned his first career start in Game 1 but earned the loss despite giving up one earned run in four and one-third innings. Senior David McKolosky pitched the remaining one and one-third of the game.

The Raiders will return to Pennsylvania for their PSAC East-opening series this weekend against East Stroudsburg. ESU will host the opening doubleheader at 1 p.m. Friday before the series shifts to Fairchild Field for two games Saturday also beginning at 1 p.m.

Game 1: Catawba 6, Shippensburg 2

The Indians (22-8) built a 4-0 lead through two innings before SU plated a run in the fourth with junior center fielder Michael Douglas scoring from third despite Kregeloh grounding into a double play with zero outs.

SU cut the deficit to two runs in the sixth when Douglas drew his second walk of the game, stole second and third and scored when Kregeloh reached on a fielding error by the Indians third baseman.

Catawba added two insurance runs in the sixth on a pair of RBI singles to make the score 6-2. SU attempted a rally in the top of the seventh with back-to-back leadoff singles from junior designated hitter Dan Wimer and sophomore second baseman Jimmy Spanos before leaving both runners stranded with three consecutive groundouts.

Game 2: Shippensburg 14, Catawba 4

The Raiders opened their big third inning by loading the bases to set up an RBI groundout from freshman shortstop Mike Marcinko and a Douglas RBI on a throwing error from the Catawba shortstop. After a Shover strikeout for the second out, Kregeloh brought himself and Douglas home with his first roundtripper of the game.

Senior right fielder Cody Kulp followed with a double to right center field before scoring in the next at-bat on a Beloff double to left field for a 6-1 SU lead.

After two quick outs in the top of the fourth, Marcinko and Douglas reached base with a hit-by-pitch and a walk, respectively. Shover brought home Marcinko with an RBI single to center field before Kregeloh again cleared the bases with a three-run jack.

Catawba added three runs over the next two innings to make the score 10-4 but Shippensburg again scored twice more in both the sixth and seventh, with Spanos sending home a run with a triple down the right-field line and eventually scoring on a fielding error in the sixth. In the seventh, Shover smacked an RBI double down the right-field line and Kulp singled to center for the game's final run.