Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

WASHINGTON, Pa. – The No. 20-ranked Shippensburg University baseball team split a conference crossover doubleheader against Slippery Rock on a chilly Saturday afternoon at Consol Energy Park, dropping the opener 5-4 in 11 innings before rallying for a 6-5 victory in eight innings over The Rock.

Shippensburg (5-3) got strong outings on Saturday from both of its starting pitchers: sophomore Marcus Shippey and freshman Mark Curtis. Shippey threw 7.2 innings in the opener, allowing two runs on seven hits while striking out seven. Curtis allowed three runs (two earned) in five innings, striking out nine. On the day, SU's pitchers struck out 18 batters in 18.1 innings.

Three Raiders totaled three hits on the day: junior Jimmy Spanos, sophomore Mike Marcinko and freshman Ryan McMillen. Four had two RBIs: McMillen, senior Pat Kregeloh, junior Cody Ezolt and junior Austin Allison.

SU has committed just four errors through eight games (.984 fielding percentage) and had several outstanding defensive plays in Saturday's doubleheader – including a slick-ranging play by Spanos in Game 2 that got the Raiders out of the sixth inning. McMillen made two big plays in Game 1, ranging and sliding up the middle to throw out Kyle Vozar from his knees, before going completely airborne to rob Will Kengor of a two-run single in the fifth inning.

Slippery Rock (5-4) trailed 4-0 entering the eighth inning of Game 1 before rallying to tie the score in the ninth inning on a two-out home run by Alex Bell and ultimately winning the contest when Bell singled in the 11th inning.   

Kregeloh and McMillen were the only Raiders to collect a hit in each game.

Recaps of each game are below. Shippensburg heads to Harford (Md.) C.C. on Sunday for a 4 p.m. doubleheader with IUP.

Game 1: Slippery Rock 5, Shippensburg 4 (11 innings)

After four scoreless innings, SU got a two-run single from Kregeloh to open the scoring. Freshman Vince Careghini singled and senior Cal Hogan was hit by a pitch, and both came home to score on the single.

In the eighth inning, Spanos and Kregeloh led off the inning with singles before getting bunted into scoring position by freshman Jake Kennedy. Two batters later, Allison and McMillen delivered infield singles that enhanced SU's lead to 4-0.

Slippery Rock scored three in the eighth and one in the ninth to force extra innings. Shippey settled for a no-decision, throwing 7.2 innings and allowing just one extra-base hit.

Spanos had three hits in the contest, marking his sixth extra-base hit through the first seven games of the year.

Game 2: Shippensburg 6, Slippery Rock 5 (8 innings)

Shippensburg and Slippery Rock combined for three runs and three errors in the first inning of the nightcap, with The Rock holding a 2-1 lead after scoring runs after a leadoff triple and an infield single.

In the fourth inning, Kennedy drew a one-out walk for the Raiders and Ezolt doubled to put both men in scoring positions. Allison grounded out to second base, plating Kennedy, and McMillen singled into center field to plate Ezolt.

Slippery Rock tied the score at 3-3 in the fifth inning but Curtis escaped further damage after inducing a groundout and popup with two men on base. The freshman hurler yielded just two earned runs in five innings, throwing 59 of his 83 pitches for strikes.

In the first at-bat of extra innings, Kregeloh squeaked out a double on a close play at second base to preface a three-run inning. After a four-pitch walk to Spanos, Kennedy sacrificed both into scoring position. Ezolt then sent the first pitch he saw into right field for a two-run single. With two outs, Ezolt stole second base and then scored on a single into center field by senior Michael Douglas.

Senior Austin Bartley, who threw 31 pitches in the opening game of the doubleheader, came in for the save in the bottom of the eighth inning but ran into some trouble – as the first three SRU batters reached base. After an RBI-single made it 6-4 in favor of the Raiders, a sacrifice bunt moved two runners into scoring position with one out. Bartley then induced a sacrifice fly and one more fly out to notch his third save of the year and clinch the 6-5 win.

Sophomore Kyle McClintock pitched two scoreless innings in relief of Curtis to pick up his first win of the season. McClintock allowed just one walk and one hit, striking out two.

Douglas, Hogan, Ezolt and McMillen each had two hits in the nightcap.