The Shippensburg University baseball team split a chilly Saturday doubleheader in North Carolina, defeating Barton in its opening game, 6-5, before dropping a 10-9 decision in the second game against the Bulldogs.
 
Shippensburg (2-3) and Barton (6-3) each scored 15 runs on the day, as the Raiders played in their third one-run game of the young season. SU smacked four more home runs, bringing its season total to 12 through five games, but allowed five of its own. The Raiders have given up nine home runs through five games after allowing just seven during the entire 2014 season.

Senior Cody Ezolt had a banner day, going 3-for-7 with two homers, his first career triple, four RBIs, two walks, three steals and two runs. Ezolt's three steals in one day matched his career total through 84 career games entering Saturday.
 
Sophomore catcher Jake Kennedy was the only Raider with four hits on the day; he reached base six times, smacked his fifth home run of the season, hit his first career triple, scored three runs and stole two bases. Like Ezolt, Kennedy stole as many bases in one day as he had in his entire career (38 games) entering Saturday.
 
Junior Mike Marcinko had three hits and two stolen bases, while senior Jimmy Spanos contributed a home run and four RBIs.
 
Junior starting pitcher Rich Michaud improved to 2-0 by winning the opener, allowing four runs (three earned) through 4.2 innings. Junior Marcus Shippey threw two perfect innings of relief in Game 1, striking out three, to record a save.
 
Sophomore Mark Curtis threw four scoreless innings to start Game 2 but was chased in the fifth; he finished allowing four runs in 4.2 innings while striking out seven.
 
Shippensburg is scheduled to face Shepherd next weekend. Sunday's game at Barton was canceled due to the weather being undesirable.
 
Game 1: Shippensburg 6, Barton 5
 
All six of SU's runs in the opener game in the first inning – including four before an out was recorded. Marcinko singled to lead off the game and sophomore Ryan McMillen drew a four-pitch walk. Spanos singled home Marcinko, and Ezolt cleared the bases with a three-run home run.
 
Kennedy tripled after Ezolt's homer, and junior Austin Allison plated him with a sacrifice fly. Freshman Dalton Hoiles singled with two outs, moved to second on a wild pitch and then scored on a single up the middle by freshman Grant Hoover.
 
Barton got its first run off Michaud in the fourth with a solo home run. The Bulldogs scored four runs in the fifth, all coming off three home runs. The last came with two outs off senior Nick Massetti, who entered in relief.
 
Game 2: Barton 10, Shippensburg 9
 
SU built a 6-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, but the Bulldogs scored four times in the fifth and five times in the seventh to grab the advantage. The Raiders trailed 10-7 entering the top of the ninth but scored twice and got the tying run on base before the game ended.
 
Marcinko scored on a wild pitch in the first inning to get on the board, and Ezolt and Kennedy hit back-to-back homers in the third. In the fifth, Marcinko and McMillen hit back-to-back doubles before Spanos homered to give the Raiders a 6-0 lead.
 
In the decisive seventh inning, back-to-back walks and catcher's interference loaded the bases for Barton with nobody out. A bases-loaded walk made it a 6-5 game before a grand slam put the Bulldogs up 9-6.
 
SU's ninth inning began with back-to-back singles by Kennedy and Allison. With one out, Hoiles delivered an RBI-single but was thrown out at second base on the play. Allison scored on an error before a strikeout ended the game.