SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University baseball team made its Senior Day on Saturday a season finale to remember, achieving a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division doubleheader sweep of East Stroudsburg with comeback wins of 9-8 and 8-7 on a muggy and then rainy day at Fairchild Field.
 
Shippensburg (20-27, 12-16 PSAC East) won Game 1 in extra innings on a two-out, walk-off RBI-double by senior Tommy Baggett that scored fellow senior Ty Painter from first base. SU rallied from an 8-1 deficit to win, scoring seven times in the bottom of the fifth to tie it before winning it in the bottom of the eighth with Baggett's double.
 
In Game 2, East Stroudsburg (31-17, 17-11) built a 7-1 lead through three-and-a-half innings before the Raiders rallied despite the weather having devolved into a torrential rain. SU scored twice in the bottom of the fourth and five times in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead, and the game was then called at the completion of the fifth due to the weather.
 
Both games were packed with high drama, but Game 1 was as exhilarating as they come. ESU scored five runs in the top of the fifth to take an 8-1 lead, but the Raiders immediately answered with seven runs in the bottom of the frame to even the score. Shippensburg began the inning with six straight singles, including RBIs for junior Zack Zoller and Baggett and a two-run hit for freshman Tony Vavaroutsos that made the score 8-5.
 
With two outs, freshman Justin Darden laced a line-drive single through the middle to make it 8-6. Junior Jacob Pollock, whose single started the fifth inning, came up again and hit an opposite-field double down the right-field line to make it 8-7. A throwing error on the play allowed Darden to score, making it 8-8.
 
The rally preserved the chance of a victory for senior starting pitcher Zack Sims, who left everything he had on the mound in his final outing. Sims, who threw a 146-pitch complete game, shook off a three-run first and a five-run fifth by retiring the side in order in both the sixth and the seventh.
 
In the eighth, ESU hit a single, bunted for a single, and drew a nine-pitch walk to load the bases with nobody out – prompting a mound visit by SU head coach Matt Jones. Sims remained in the game, and his next pitch resulted in a 6-2-3 double play to keep the score even and put two outs on the board. With two runners still in scoring position, the count went full in the next at-bat. On the eighth pitch, Sims got Brock Kauffman to pop up to escape the jam without a run scoring.
 
In the bottom of the eighth, Painter singled with one out. Two batters later, Baggett roped a double into center field that not only plated his fellow senior from first, but also resulted in another fellow senior (Sims) getting a win in his final outing.
 
Game 2 also featured another hot start for East Stroudsburg, as the Warriors built a 7-1 lead off senior Michael Hope entering the bottom of the fourth. Undaunted, SU began its rally with the 13th home run of the season by senior Jack Goertzen, a single by Vavaroutsos and a double by sophomore Scout Knotts. Vavaroutsos later scored on a passed ball, making the score 7-3 through four innings.
 
Junior Kyle Lysy navigated through a downpour in the top of the fifth by retiring the side in order with two strikeouts. In the bottom of the fifth, ESU reliever Matt Durkin struggled with the conditions and the Raiders took advantage. Back-to-back walks prefaced an opposite-field RBI-single for Baggett. Two more runs then scored on wild pitches, with a Goertzen walk sandwiched between.
 
Vavaroutsos tied the game at 7-7, plating Goertzen with a double to right field. He then moved to third on a flyout by Knotts, and then scored the go-ahead run on the fourth wild pitch of the inning.
 
Overall on the day, SU cranked out 20 hits. Eight of those came off the bats of the senior position players: Painter was 3-for-5 with a double and three runs, while Goertzen was 2-for-5 with the solo home run, two walks and three runs scored. Baggett finished 3-for-8 with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored.
 
Vavaroutsos was 4-for-7 with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored. Knotts finished 3-for-7 with a double and a solo home run.
 
Saturday marked the final collegiate games for the senior class: Cole Backenstose, Baggett, Goertzen, Hope, Painter and Sims. The men combined for more than 100 victories and three postseason appearances with the Raiders, including a trip to the 2017 NCAA Atlantic Region Championships.