The Shippensburg University baseball team used eight runs in the first two innings to help pull away to a 10-5 victory over Carson-Newman in its 2024 season opener on Friday afternoon at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex. Game 2 was postponed in the bottom of the first inning due to inclement weather.
 
Shippensburg (1-0) scored 10 runs on 13 hits in the ballgame and made just one error in the field. The Raider pitching staff combined to allow five runs on 10 hits. Senior Austin Baal was 3-for-4 with a walk and four RBIs for the Raiders. Morgan Wyatt hit a first-inning three-run homer.
 
Senior Andrew Chronister and junior Carter Arbuthnot each went 2-for-5 at the plate. Chronister had an RBI and a run scored. Arbuthnot went for a double and two runs scored.
 
Graduate Ryan Gleason threw four innings in his first start of the year. Gleason allowed one run on one hit, fanning five batters. Freshman Conner Barto got the win on the mound, allowing two runs on two hits with two strikeouts over two innings in relief.  
 
Senior Ethan Miller and sophomore Brenden Anderson each tossed a scoreless inning in relief. Miller allowed no hits and two walks with a strikeout in the seventh inning and Anderson tossed a scoreless ninth.
 
Junior Carter Hinds singled and stole second to start the game to set up a two-out RBI double by Baal. Another two-out hit by Chronister scored Baal. A three-run blast to straightaway center field by Wyatt capped off the big five-run first inning for the Raiders. All five of the runs were scored with two outs.
 
An RBI single by James Denton gave Carson-Newman a run back, but the Raiders answered with a three-run second inning. SU loaded the bases with one out to set up a two-run single by Baal with a third run scoring via an error.
 
A two-run single by Aiden Gibson for the Eagles made it an 8-3 ballgame. The Raiders answered with a run in the top of the sixth. It was Baal again with his fourth RBI of the game with a single down the third-base line to score Hinds. An error by the Eagles off the bat of Hinds plated the Raiders' 10th run in the eighth inning.  
 
Carson-Newman scored two in the bottom of the eighth, but Anderson shut down the Eagles with two strikeouts in the bottom of the ninth to close out the win.
 
SU and Carson-Newman are scheduled to play at noon tomorrow, weather permitting. The hope is to get in two seven-inning games.

BASEBALL: Austin Baal's RBI double has @ShipUBaseball on the board in the top of the first!

Carter Hinds led off with a single, stole second with one out, and scored on this play. More 🎇 to come...

📹: Watch the @FloBaseball stream here: https://t.co/UMTV5y38Us pic.twitter.com/1vr5e6F7aJ

— SHIP Sports Info (@ShipURaiders) February 9, 2024

BASEBALL: A three-run Morgan Wyatt 💣! 😤@SHIPUBaseball scores five runs with two outs to take a 5-0 lead into the bottom of the first. Ryan Gleason on the bump for the Raiders.

📹: Watch the @FloBaseball stream here: https://t.co/UMTV5y38Us pic.twitter.com/S956TBEArH

— SHIP Sports Info (@ShipURaiders) February 9, 2024