SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University baseball team split a Saturday doubleheader with the Dolphins of Le Moyne, winning the opener 6-0 (seven-inning game) before losing the nightcap 9-5 (nine-inning game) in action at Fairchild Field.
 
Shippensburg (5-10) totaled 24 hits in the doubleheader, including 10 that went for extra bases. Le Moyne (3-7) had 15 hits in Game 2 and SU had 16.
 
All 10 Raiders to get at-bats on Saturday had at least two hits in the doubleheader. Four men had three hits: junior Justin Darden had a double, triple and three RBIs, junior Lake Lloyd had two doubles, and both senior Ben Werkheiser and redshirt-sophomore Justin Byler each had a double.
 
Shippensburg will host Le Moyne for a pair of seven-inning games Sunday beginning at noon.
 
Game 1: Shippensburg 6, Le Moyne 0
 
A five-run third inning against Le Moyne starter Joe Vail was the difference in the opener. After a leadoff ground-rule double by Lloyd, a one-out hit by pitch of Byler and a single by graduate JuJu Cason loaded the bases.
 
Sophomore Andrew Chronister drew a bases-loaded walk to open the scoring. Darden countered with a two-run double to make it 3-0, and graduate Matt Shilling hit a two-run single up the middle to make it 5-0.
 
Sophomore Jafari Williams tripled home Byler with two outs in the fifth for the game's final run.
 
It was more than enough for redshirt-junior Nick Zegna, who threw six shutout innings to improve his season record to 2-2. Zegna scattered four singles, walked two and struck out one in 81 pitches. Redshirt-freshman Cameron Goble pitched a scoreless seventh.
 
Vail struck out seven in 3.2 innings for Le Moyne.
 
Game 2: Le Moyne 9, Shippensburg 5
 
The visiting Dolphins got to sophomore Gabe Stotler early, totaling five hits in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead. Stotler got a strikeout and a fielder's choice to strand the bases loaded and only allow two runs in the opening frame.
 
Le Moyne added three in the fourth off Stotler, capped by a two-run home run onto the hill in right-center by leadoff man Zach Brush. The Dolphins had the first four batters reach in the fifth against redshirt-freshman reliever Ray Winter and led 9-0 entering the bottom of the inning.
 
SU got three runs back in the bottom of the fifth. Williams tripled home Lloyd, who doubled to start the inning. Redshirt-sophomore Andres Garcia singled up the middle to plate Williams, and Shilling hit an RBI-groundout.
 
The Raiders snuck in single runs in the seventh (Darden hit a bloop into right-center that went for a triple to score Chronister) and the eighth (RBI-single by Garcia) but could not get any closer. SU got the tying run into the on-deck circle in the bottom of the eighth.
 
Shippensburg was in a position to rally thanks to the relief pitching of sophomore Austen Labarre, who finished with five scoreless innings out of the bullpen (two inherited runs scored on a single in the fifth). Labarre walked one and allowed five hits, striking out three.
 
Le Moyne's Max Parker improved to 2-1; he allowed five runs (four earned) on 14 hits but walked no one and struck out four. Ryan DuBord got the save and struck out two.
 
Brush went 3-for-6 with a homer and four RBIs for the Dolphins.