The Shippensburg University baseball team completed a four-game series sweep of Queens (N.Y.) on Sunday, defeating the Knights by scores of 6-2 and 11-2 in games played at Diamond Nation in Flemington, N.J.
 
The Game 2 victory marked the 500th career win for SU head coach Matt Jones.
 
Shippensburg totaled 19 hits in Sunday's doubleheader, including five home runs, and struck out just twice in its 64 plate appearances. The Raider starting pitchers allowed just one run over 11 innings. SU also stole four bases, including two by junior Scout Knotts.
 
Jones, in his 14th season leading the Raiders, has posted a 352-339-1 career record that includes 35 victories in postseason play. He compiled a 148-126-2 record in seven seasons at Elizabethtown College prior to his arrival at Shippensburg for the 2007 season.
 
In 11 of his 13 SU seasons, Jones has coached the Raiders to at least 23 wins – including four seasons of 30 or more wins. Shippensburg has made nine Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament appearances and made NCAA Division II National Championships appearances by virtue of two NCAA Atlantic Region Championships.
 
Game 1: Shippensburg 6, Queens 2
 
Sophomore Tony Vavaroutsos and junior Chase Zurawski contributed three RBIs. Vavaroutsos hit a solo home run in the first inning and added a two-run homer to left in the fourth. Zurawski hit a sacrifice fly in the second and a two-run double in the fifth.
 
Redshirt-sophomore Kiernan Higgins picked up his first win as a Raider with six solid innings. Higgins allowed a run on four hits, walking one and striking out two in an 86-pitch outing.
 
Senior Jacob Pollock made his second career appearance as a pitcher and earned his first career save. Pollock entered in relief of freshman Chris Douglass with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning and induced a lineout to strand the potential tying run in the on-deck circle.
 
Game 2: Shippensburg 11, Queens 2
 
Senior Zack Zoller opened the Game 2 scoring with a two-run home run in the third and sophomore Nick Zanic later scored in the inning on a wild pitch to give Shippensburg a 3-0 lead. Sophomore Justin Darden and Zoller each homered in the fourth, making it 5-0.
 
SU extended the lead with a four-run fifth inning. Pollock hit a two-run triple down the right-field line, and sophomore Lake Lloyd plated two runs with a double.
 
Two more runs came home in the sixth, as freshman Braden Petty hit an RBI-double for his first collegiate hit and RBI to score Zanic after he beat out an infield single. Zurawski hit a sacrifice fly to plate Petty.  
 
Junior Chris Horst got the win in his first collegiate start, throwing five shutout innings and allowing just two singles and a walk. Horst struck out three. His previous career-long outing was three innings at Lock Haven on Apr. 4, 2018.
 
Senior Jack Jenkens pitched a scoreless sixth, striking out two, and freshman Andrew Haynes pitched the seventh.
 
UP NEXT: Shippensburg will be home next weekend for a three-game series with Le Moyne, beginning at noon Saturday with a doubleheader at Fairchild Field.

Here's the reaction of the team when the news is shared with them after the game! pic.twitter.com/kr6g8INQJ0

— SHIP Sports Info (@ShipURaiders) February 23, 2020