SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - The Shippensburg University baseball team won its home opener on Friday afternoon, taking down Pitt-Johnstown in 11 innings by a score of 8-7 at Fairchild Field. The Raiders loaded the bases in the bottom of the 11th with one out and walked off via a UPJ throwing error.
 
Sophomore Mike Heckman and junior Carter Hinds each went 3-for-4 in the game. Heckman brought in four runs and scored two. Hinds had five total bases in the game and reached base five times with two walks.
 
Graduate Justin Byler was 2-for-5 with a double and two runs scored. Junior Gio Calamia and senior Andrew Chronister each had a hit and an RBI on the day.
 
Shippensburg (2-3) tallied eight runs on 11 hits compared to Pitt-Johnstown's (1-3) seven runs on seven hits. The Mountain Cats left 12 runners stranded in the game and the Raiders stranded eight baserunners.
 
Freshman Ryan Novakowski was a bright spot on the mound, coming on in the ninth inning to throw three scoreless innings. Novakowski allowed one hit, walked three batters, and stranded all four baserunners in his outing.
 
Pitt Johnstown tagged graduate starting pitcher Ryan Gleason in the first inning for four runs. Gleason walked the first two batters and hit one with a pitch to load the bases. A triple by Devon Boyles brought in all three baserunners and a groundout allowed Boyles to score for a quick 4-0 start.
 
Shippensburg had an immediate response in the bottom half of the first with its first three batters reaching base safely. Singles from Hinds and Byler to start the game set up first and third with no outs for the Raiders. Another single by Heckman brought home the Raiders first run. Byler advanced to third in the next at-bat, then scored from a groundout by Calamia. A two-out single by Chronister brought home Heckman to make it a 4-3 ballgame.
 
Two more runs in the bottom of the second put the Raiders in front 5-4. Senior Brock Piper got the inning going by wearing a pitch for a free base. A single from Hinds and a walk by Byler loaded the bases with just one out for Heckman, who drove in two more runs with a single to left field.
 
Gleason battled, throwing two scoreless innings after the four-run first. Gleason finished his day after three innings, allowing the four runs on one hit and walking five batters with four strikeouts.
 
Pitt-Johnstown took back the lead with two runs in the top of the fourth inning off freshman Brady Kain. A triple by Hinds to lead off the bottom of the inning set up the tying score as Heckman lifted a sacrifice fly to right field.  
 
Kain settled in with scoreless innings in the fifth, sixth and seventh, striking out four batters in that span. Kain tossed three-up, three-down innings in the sixth and seventh before the Raiders grabbed the lead in the bottom of the seventh. Kain went on to throw five innings, allowing three runs on five hits with five strikeouts.
 
Heckman was hit with a pitch to lead off the seventh and senior Austin Baal drew a walk to get a rally going. With runners on first and second, Calamia laid down a nice bunt towards first base, forcing a bad throw that scored Hinds for a 7-6 lead.
 
Pitt Johnstown had the answer in the eighth, tying the game on a sacrifice fly to right field. Shippensburg got its first two runners on in the eighth, but a double play helped the Mountain Cats get out of the inning with no damage.
 
The Raiders went three-up, three-down at the plate in the ninth and tenth innings. The Mountain Cats threatened to score with runners on first and third in the 10th inning. Novakowski forced a soft lineout to get out of the jam.
 
The big rally came in the bottom of the 11th inning for the Raiders. A one-out double from Byler gave SU some life, and a single by Heckman put runners at first and third. The Mountain Cats intentionally walked Baal to load the bases. Calamia stepped up to the plate, hitting a sharp ground ball to the second baseman who was playing on the grass. The quick play led to an errant throw at home plate that allowed Byler to touch home for the winning run.
 
SU is back in action with games two and three against Pitt-Johnstown at 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday at Fairchild Field.