The Shippensburg University baseball team dropped two games by a combined three runs scored to East Stroudsburg in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division action Saturday at Creekview Park, 7-5 and 4-3.
Shippensburg (23-16, 10-10 PSAC East) scored the majority of its runs early in both games of Saturday's twinbill, with East Stroudsburg (27-12, 14-6) outscoring the Raiders by a combined 5-to-1 score from the fourth inning onward.
Thomas Cano-Piszel remained red-hot for the Raiders offensively, totaling six hits in eight plate appearances Saturday (.750), including a two-run homer in the first inning of Game 2. He finished with four RBI and two runs scored.
Evan Shoffler wasn't far behind with four hits (.750) and two RBIs in six at bats.
AJ Wenrich launched a first-inning two-run homer to give SU an early lead in Game 1.
The Raiders will return to action at 2 p.m. Tuesday when they travel to Pitt-Johnstown for a rescheduled midweek matchup at Point Stadium.
Game 1: East Stroudsburg 7, Shippensburg 5
SU got on the board first in a back-and-forth Game 1 courtesy of a two-run homer from Wenrich in the first inning, scoring Cano-Piszel.
Cano-Piszel added an RBI single in the second, driving in
Mason Morris. Chase Frantz got the Warriors offense going with a run-scoring single in the bottom half of the inning, then Easton Albert made it 3-2 after reaching on a Shippensburg error.
A bases-loaded walk from ESU leadoff hitter Braydon Hubbard tied the game at 3-3 before Troy Davis' fielder's choice put the hosts in front. Another run would score on a Raider miscue, giving ESU a 5-3 lead after two innings.
Evan Shoffler drove in a pair of runs in the third inning, tying the game at 5-5 with a single. The Warriors regained the lead in the fourth, as Walker Zampella tripled home a run with two outs. Connor Reilly added to the Warrior lead in the fifth, hitting a sac fly to make it 7-5.
SU got the leadoff runner on in the seventh, but a double play stopped the rally in its tracks. ESU reliever Caden Leonard retired the next batter for the final out.
Cano-Piszel went 4-for-4 for SU with a double and an RBI. Shoffler added two hits.
Parker Frey was the only Warrior with multiple hits, finishing 2-for-4.
Kaleb Maksimik went 3.2 innings in his start for SU, surrendering six runs (three earned) on six hits and three walks, striking out three.
Jacob Dennis allowed one run off one hit in 2.1 relief innings.
Evan Hughes pitched the first 2.2 frames for the Warriors, giving up five runs (four earned) on seven hits and two walks, with one strikeout. Leonard pitched the last 4.1 innings, earning his second win of the season with three strikeouts.
Game 2: East Stroudsburg 4, Shippensburg 3
Cano-Piszel provided the Raiders with early offense in Game 2, launching a two-run bomb to right-centerfield in the top of the first inning, and later delivered a fifth-inning RBI single to put the visitors ahead 3-1.
East Stroudsburg's Parker Frey and Frantz connected on back-to-back doubles to begin the sixth, the second of which drove in the Warriors' second run.
Albert then stroked an RBI single to drive in Frantz representing the tying run, 3-3.
Back-to-back walks then loaded the bases with only one out, but SU reliever
Jack Robinson retired ESU's No. 2 and No. 3 hitters Davis and Zampella to keep the two teams even.
After the Raiders were retired in the seventh, Frey worked a one-out walk. Reilly then singled him to third in front of Albert, who laced a two-out single back through the middle to give the hosts a 4-3 walk-off victory.
Shippensburg starter
Brady Kain pitched well. After working out of a bases-loaded jam in the first, Kain held the Warriors to just a single unearned run through five innings.
His day ended after surrendering a leadoff double to Frey in the sixth, who would later score. Kain allowed just four total hits and worked around four walks in five-plus innings of work. He finished with two strikeouts.
Cano-Piszel and Shoffler each had two hits, while Morris scored a pair of runs.
