The Shippensburg University baseball team's offense made a major statement as they swept out a road doubleheader against No. 18 West Chester in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division action Friday at Serpico Stadium, 17-4 and 6-5.
Shippensburg (22-11, 9-5 PSAC East) scored 17 runs in the opener, its most in a game against West Chester (23-7, 9-5) since the 1998 season. They clubbed a total of six home runs in the twinbill, including a pair of blasts from
Ty Sherman in Game 1 and a pair from
AJ Wenrich in the nightcap.
Five players in the SU lineup hit .500-or-better. Sherman batted a team-best .625 over the course of the doubleheader (5-for-8) with eight RBIs, five runs scored and 12 total bases.
Will Oates batted .525 (5-for-9), including a four-hit outing in Game 1. He scored five total runs.
Kyle Ausgotharp finished with five RBIs.
The road doubleheader sweep is just their second over the Golden Rams in the last 26 years. SU's last road doubleheader sweep occurred on Mar. 15, 2024. Prior to that, the last one occurred back on Apr. 29, 2000.
The Raiders will wrap up the weekend series with the Golden Rams with a doubleheader Saturday at Fairchild Field beginning at 1 p.m.
Game 1: Shippensburg 17, West Chester 4
Shippensburg pounded out 18 hits and four home runs in the opener, its most round-trippers in a single game this season.
Ausgotharp got the offense started with a towering three run shot in the first, then later drove in two more with an RBI single during the Raiders' 6-run third. His five runs batted in represent a new career high.
Oates launched a fourth-inning solo shot as part of a 4-for-5, four run performance. Sherman continued the onslaught with three-run shots in back-to-back frames in the sixth and seventh. Sherman notched new single game career-best totals in both hits (four) and RBIs (seven).
Mike Heckman also had an RBI hit in the game.
The Raider offense did much of their damage against WCU lefty Julian Costa, the reigning National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) National Pitcher of the Week and one of the top arms in the PSAC. Costa was charged with nine runs (six earned) in 2.2 innings pitched.
SU starting pitcher
Conner Barto rode a big early cushion to the Game 1 victory. The righty took down 6.2 total innings and allowed four earned runs. He finished with five strikeouts.
Game 2: Shippensburg 6, West Chester 5
Shippensburg's offensive momentum continued in the nightcap, scoring its first run before recording an out courtesy of an Oates RBI double. Sherman followed with a sac fly to give SU a 2-0 first-inning advantage.
Wenrich followed with a third-inning longball for a 3-0 margin.
Shippensburg later answered a pair of WCU runs with a pair of unearned runs in the fifth to maintain its three-run lead.
A pair of Golden Ram home runs helped the hosts climb their way back, with Hunter Smith's sixth-inning solo shot evening the score, 5-5.
Wenrich then mashed his second to break the tie a half-inning later.
Jack Robinson, who came on to pitch the sixth, pitched around a leadoff walk in the bottom of the seventh to earn the victory.
Robinson came on in relief of
Jonah Mayer, who received a no decision after allowing four runs on six hits over the first five frames. He walked none and recorded three strikeouts.
