SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University baseball team went toe-to-toe with No. 9 Millersville in a rainy, damp, and cool Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division doubleheader on Friday, but the Marauders scratched out a pair of 2-1 victories over the Raiders in action at Fairchild Field.
 
Shippensburg (21-17, 14-12) went to extras in Game 1 with Millersville (33-7, 19-3). SU led 1-0 after four innings in the opener, playing its run on an RBI-single by freshman Ty Sherman. The visitors tied it with a solo home run in the fifth inning and scored the game-winning run in extras with an RBI-groundout after Amani Jones led off the eighth with a double.
 
Junior Jaxon Dalena traded zeroes with Millersville's Carson Kulina in the opener. Dalena allowed just a run on three hits, walking three and striking out five in his seven innings of work. Senior Ethan Miller took the loss. Kulina allowed an unearned run in an eight-inning complete game, scattering five hits and two walks while striking out five.
 
The visitors scratched out 10 hits in the nightcap but left 11 men on base and had three runners cut down on the basepaths. Senior Andrew Chronister threw out a runner trying to steal in each game, and Game 2 starter Conner Barto used a strong move to first to pick off two runners.
 
SU's seven innings pitched in Game 2 were all by freshmen. Barto scattered two runs on nine hits in 4.2 innings, walking three without a strikeout. It was just his third collegiate start. Kaleb Maksimik allowed just a walk and a single in 2.1 scoreless innings of relief, striking out one.
 
The Raiders fell behind 2-0 early in Game 2 but got a run back in the bottom of the third on an RBI-double by Sherman, who drove in both of the SU runs on the day. Millersville starter Conor Cook went mostly unblemished the rest of the way, allowing just three hits and a walk overall while striking out nine in a complete-game win.
 
Junior Gio Calamia was the only player on either team with two hits in the opening game. Calamia reached base three times on the day with a single, double and walk. Senior Austin Baal and sophomore Mike Heckman also had two hits in the doubleheader.
 
Millersville leadoff batter Jeff Sabater, the nation's leader in stolen bases, was 0-for-3 and was caught stealing in the opener but made a game-saving play in the bottom of the seventh inning. With Heckman on second base, freshman Brady Harbach hit a ball deep into the left-center field gap to which Sabater ran hard and made a diving catch with his back to home plate. Heckman was on the base to tag and was running hard and was sent around third base to try and score. MU executed the relay perfectly, however, as Sabater got up quickly and fired to shortstop Jones, who then threw a bullet to catcher Keegan Soltis for the tag and the out that sent the game into extra innings.
 
Sabater was 3-for-4 with two steals in Game 2, bringing his season total to 44. Sam Morris reached base all four times in Game 2, going 2-for-2 with two walks and two steals.
 
The two teams will play a doubleheader at 1 p.m. tomorrow at Cooper Park.
 

BASE: Ty Sherman doubles home Mike Heckman and the Raiders are on the board in Game 2!

VILLE 2, SHIP 1 | END 3 pic.twitter.com/VRQ1Ha7TVK

— SHIP Sports Info (@ShipURaiders) April 19, 2024