The Shippensburg University baseball team played a pair of tight games Sunday at East Stroudsburg but dropped both, 11-8 and 3-1, in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division doubleheader at Mitterling Field.
 
Shippensburg (15-21, 6-10 PSAC East) started the afternoon well as junior Jake Kennedy hit an RBI double in the second inning and a two-run homer – his first of the season – in the fourth inning to sandwich an RBI single by sophomore Nick Spangler in the third inning to give SU a 4-1 lead through 3.5 innings.
 
However, the Warriors answered with a seven-run fourth inning – highlighted by a grand slam from Robbie Bennie – to take a lead they would not relinquish. SU continued to battle, though, as sophomore Dalton Hoiles doubled home senior Austin Allison in the fifth inning.
 
Hoiles finished the doubleheader 3-for-6 with all three of his hits being doubles.
 
In the sixth inning, freshman Cash Gladfelter hit an RBI single before senior Mike Marcinko singled home two runs to cut the ESU lead to 10-8. Unfortunately, SU grounded into a double play with the bases loaded to end the sixth inning and had Game 1 end with the tying run at the plate.
 
Game 2 was highlighted by the performance of SU starting pitcher, senior Kyle McClintock. The lefty turned in a complete game effort, allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out five.
 
The complete game is the second of McClintock's career and first of the 2016 campaign.
 
McClintock allowed an RBI single in the first inning, but the Raiders tied the game in the fourth inning when Spangler knocked in Hoiles with an RBI single. Spangler finished the four-game series against ESU with seven hits and is now hitting a team-best .409 in conference play.
 
Back-to-back RBI hits in the bottom of the fourth inning for East Stroudsburg turned out to be the difference. Again, the Raiders had the tying run at the plate when the game ended.
 
Marcinko tied Hoiles for the team lead on the day with three hits. McMillen, Kennedy and Spangler each had two knocks Sunday.
 
The Raiders host Wilmington (Del.) Tuesday for a single nine-inning game, beginning at 3 p.m. from Fairchild Field.