Pitching was the story on Saturday as Shippensburg’s Marcus Shippey and Gabe Mosser combine for 23 strikeouts in the double-header against Kutztown. The Shippensburg pitching staff has been under scrutiny as of late but the performance on Saturday rendered the nay-sayers speechless.

Shippensburg had lost the last six games at Kutztown entering into Saturday’s game. The team had not swept Kutztown in a two-game-series since 2010 but that is what occurred at Saturday’s meeting. Shippey struck on 10 batters in Game 1 and Mosser added 13 strikeouts in Game 2. Mike Marcinko finished the day 4-for-8 with three runs and Austin Allison went 3-for-7 with three runs, one RBI, and a walk. Shippensburg tallied eight runs on 14 hits on the day to winning 4-2 in Game 1, and 4-3 in Game 2.

Game 1 :

The first run of the day came from a Cody Ezolt sacrifice fly to score Marcinko. Ryan McMillen singled home Allison to put Shippensburg up 2-0 at the end of the first inning. Kutztown scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the first and then tied the game 2-2 in the fourth. An Allison single plated the go-ahead run and then Nick Spangler scored on a Jimmy Spanos ground out. Marcinko finished 3-for-4 with two runs and a double while Allison went 2-for-4 and collected one RBI and one run. Shippey threw six innings, allowing only two runs on four hits. Shippey has recorded double-digit strikeout performances in each of his last three starts and recorded a victory in all three. Mark Curtis entered the game in the seventh and recorded the save with one strikeout.

Game 2 :

Shippensburg scored three runs in the first inning after an RBI single from sophomore Jake Kennedy and a two-run single from senior Cody Ezolt. Kutztown answered with three runs in the bottom of the first inning. The action picked back up in the fifth inning when Allison hit a two-out single. Spanos singled and scored Allison to give Shippensburg a 4-3 lead. Mosser allowed three runs on four hits and five walks in addition to his 13 strikeouts, the most by a Shippensburg pitcher since May 26, 2008 when All-American Matt Wright struck out 15 against Franklin Pierce in the Division II College World Series. Mosser pitched his third complete game and added his third win. 

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