SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University baseball team won 2-1 over Frostburg State on Wednesday in a non-conference matchup at Fairchild Field.
Today marked the first baseball game between Shippensburg (14-17) and Frostburg State (19-7) since the Bobcats re-classified to NCAA Division II. It featured just six total hits and was played in 2:20. The Raiders held an explosive Bobcat offense, one that had been averaging over nine runs per game, to just one run.
SU scored a run in the first inning without a hit. Sophomore
Joe Barbera drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a balk. Barbera then advanced to third on a groundout and then scored on another groundout, the latter by senior
Ben Werkheiser.
Similar events took place in the third after redshirt-sophomore
Andres Garcia singled up the middle to start the inning. Another balk moved Garcia up to second. Sophomore
Jafari Williams hit a deep flyout to center that moved Garcia over to third, and then he scored on a Barbera groundout to make it 2-0.
The SU pitching staff allowed just four hits and struck out 12 in the win. The Raiders worked out of a couple jams, notably in each of the final two innings. After back-to-back walks with two outs in the eighth, redshirt-freshman
Brock Piper came out of the bullpen and got a popup to end the inning.
With two outs in the top of the ninth, Danny Estrada reached on an infield single and then scored on a Jack Maruskin double off the top of the left-field wall. With the potential go-ahead run at the plate, sophomore
Austen Labarre regrouped and got Trevor Jones to foul out to junior first baseman
Lake Lloyd for the final out of the game and his second save of the season.
Sophomore
Kaleb Sophy started and threw four solid innings, allowing just three baserunners (a single and two walks) and struck out seven. Sophomore
Ethan Miller earned his first collegiate win by throwing three shutout innings. He struck out four and only allowed four base runners.
Redshirt-freshman
Cameron Goble and Piper combined to get through the eighth and Labarre pitched the ninth.
Shippensburg will host PSAC Eastern division rival Millersville at 2 p.m. Friday at Fairchild Field.
