The Shippensburg University baseball team wrapped up its regular season schedule by splitting a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division doubleheader Friday at Kutztown.
Shippensburg (28-21, 15-13 PSAC East) dropped the opener Friday against Kutztown (14-33, 7-21) by a close 6-5 margin before taking Game 2 by a 5-3 final score.
The Raiders found it difficult to get the big hit for most of the afternoon Friday until senior
Gio Calamia stepped to the plate and launched a massive go-ahead grand slam in the top of the fifth inning of the nightcap.
Calamia totaled three hits and six RBIs in the twinbill, while junior
Mike Heckman was 4-for-6 on the day with three runs scored.
Shippensburg will be the East No. 4 seed in next week's PSAC Tournament, which means an opening round matchup against West No. 1 seed Seton Hill Wednesday at 1 p.m. at Millersville's Cooper Park.
Game 1: Kutztown 6, Shippensburg 5
SU put the potential tying run on third and go-ahead run on second with no outs against the Golden Bears in the top of the seventh inning, but left both runners stranded.
Kutztown reliever Eddie Frye got the next two Raider hitters to strikeout swinging. Following an intentional walk to load the bases, Frye coaxed a fly ball for the game's final out.
The Game 1 rollercoaster began back in the fourth inning. After Calamia doubled home a run to tie the score the inning prior, SU rallied for three runs to take a 4-1 lead.
Senior
Bryce Herb, freshman
Evan Shoffler and senior
Carter Hinds each had RBI singles in the frame.
Kutztown then rallied for five fifth-inning runs to leap in front, 6-4.
Shippensburg's first three hitters reached in the last chance seventh. The Raiders got a run closer on a Calamia RBI single before Frye successfully extinguished the rally.
Sophomore
Conner Barto was charged with five runs (three earned) on five hits in 4.1 innings. Sophomore
Bryce Amos allowed an unearned run in 1.2 innings of relief.
Kutztown starter Cody Barberio was credited with the win after lasting five plus innings and surrendering five earned runs.
Game 2: Shippensburg 5, Kutztown 3
Calamia's fifth inning grand slam was the difference as the Raiders took Game 2.
SU started the frame with a 3-1 deficit. Shoffler led off the inning with a single, Heckman followed with a line drive single to center, and Hinds was hit by a pitch to load the bases with nobody out.
Facing a lefty in KU starter Paul Moretsky, Calamia stayed back on a two-strike pitch and cleared the bases with a line drive over the right field fence. The salami was Calamia's eighth home run this season and gave him a club-leading 45 runs batted in.
With SU now nursing a two-run lead, junior
Jack Robinson entered a tight jam in the sixth and struck out KU's Brian Finn to strand the potential tying and go-ahead runs on base.
He then pitched around a single in the seventh to complete the four-out save and nail down the SU victory. Robinson now has eight saves on the season – the third highest total in the PSAC – and has successfully saved SU's last five victories.
Junior
Brenden Anderson made his second start for the Raiders this season and provided four innings of three run baseball. Only two of the runs charged to Anderson were earned.
Freshman
Thomas Davenport tossed 1.2 scoreless innings to earn the win in relief.
Moretski went the distance for the Golden Bears. He threw 113 pitches and was charged with five runs (four earned).
Herb was 2-for-3 with two triples and an RBI in the nightcap. It marked the second time Herb has recorded two triples in a game in his career (May 4, 2023 against Mansfield).
