SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University baseball team stayed hot on Saturday, picking up two more Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division wins over No. 13 West Chester on Saturday to complete the first season sweep over the Golden Rams since 2000.   
 
Shippensburg (12-6, 6-2 PSAC East) used excellent starts on the mound from sophomore J.T. Weaver in Game 1 and freshman Conner Barto in Game 2 to keep the visitors at bay. West Chester (10-5, 3-5) was limited to just four runs and 12 hits on the day, as SU notched wins by scores of 6-2 and 32.
 
Weaver earned his second win of the season after allowing two runs on four hits over six innings while striking out two batters. Senior Ethan Miller came on in the seventh to relieve Weaver, getting a quick inning to close out the win in Game 1.
 
Barto picked up his second win in his first career start as a Raider. Barto struck out two batters in a five-inning outing, allowing one run on six hits in the ball game. Freshman Ryan Novakowski replaced Barto in the sixth with two runners on, stranding both runners to hold on to the two-run lead. The Golden Rams got a run back in the seventh, but a lineout ended Game 2 with a 3-2 SU victory.
 
Junior Carter Hinds led the Raiders with a four-hit day. Hinds tagged WCU pitching for three hits including a triple, two runs scored and an RBI in Game 1. Hinds picked up another knock and scored two more runs in Game 2.
 
Graduate Justin Byler and freshman Brady Harbach each had three hits on the day, both earning two hits in game one. Harbach was 3-for-5 between the two games with a run scored in each game. Byler brought in what would become the winning run in Game 2 with an RBI-single.
 
Senior Andrew Chronister was the only other Raider with a multi-hit day, going 1-for-3 at the plate in both games. Junior Gio Calamia launched his third career home run and second of the season to get SU on the board with a lead in Game 1.
 
Game One: SU 6, MU 2
 
Game 1 got off to a wacky start as the Golden Rams took a 1-0 first-inning lead. A one-out double got things going and a dropped third strike put runners on first and third. Weaver picked off the runner at first for an easy out, but the run came in to score for the early WCU lead.
 
Hinds led off the bottom of the third with a single to set up the Calamia blast. The lefty hitter lifted a ball to deep left-centerfield to put SU in front 2-1. The Raiders continued to rally through the third, loading the bases with no outs. Junior Carter Arbuthnot wore a pitch to make it 3-1, but the Raiders could not push across another run in the inning.
 
SU picked up two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a comfortable 5-1 advantage. It was Hinds again with a single to lead off the inning, later stealing second. An error by the right fielder brought Hinds home and put Byler on second. Sophomore Mike Heckman came up with two outs, hitting a rope to left field to bring in Byler.
 
West Chester earned a run back in the fifth inning with a sacrifice fly, but the Raiders responded quickly in the bottom half of the inning to hold onto their four-run lead. Harbach got the inning started with a quick single. Harbach stole second and found his way to third after a wild pitch. Hinds stepped up to the plate, tripling down the right field line to bring Harbach home.
 
Weaver allowed two baserunners in the sixth inning, stranding both runners as he ended his day. Miller came on for the seventh, forcing a 4-6-3 double play to end the ballgame.
 
Game Two: SU 3, WCU 2
 
It was the Raiders in game two that got the ball rolling with a run in the first inning. Another leadoff knock by Hinds gave SU and quick baserunner. Hinds moved to second on a groundball, then used two wild pitches to get to third, then home.
 
The Golden Rams got a run back in the third inning to tie the game at 1-1. A one-out triple got a runner in scoring position and a base hit in the next at-bat tied the game. 
 
The Raiders answered in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead back, scoring two runs for a 3-1 lead. Harbach led off the inning with a single and moved to second on a wild pitch. A groundball moved him to third and Harbach scored on another wild pitch. An error put Hinds on base, and Byler brought him in with an RBI single.
 
Novakowski inherited two runners in the sixth inning. He forced pop-ups for the first two outs and a groundball to get out of the jam. A sacrifice fly in the seventh gave WCU a run back to make it 3-2, but Hinds snagged a line drive for the final out of the game. 
 
SU is back at Fairchild Field to host Bloomsburg for a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 1 p.m.  
 
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