The Shippensburg University baseball team played its final four games of the season against Bloomsburg University.
Coming into the week, the Raiders were on the outskirts of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) tournament berth and were in need of at least three wins in the four remaining games to reach the postseason.
The action started Thursday as the Raiders (17-19, 15-17 PSAC East) traveled to BU for the first doubleheader. In Game 1, the Raiders struggled, allowing four runs in the first four innings of the game. The Raiders would only score one run off of junior Ben Werkheiser’s RBI single, losing the first game of the series 13-1.
The Raiders came out swinging in Game 2, getting on the board in the first inning with sophomore Tony Vavaroutsos hitting a single and plating graduate student JuJu Cason and Werkheiser, giving the Raiders a 1-0 edge. The Raiders increased that lead with a two-RBI single from freshman Andrew Chronister.
The Huskies (18-14 18-14 PSAC East) responded in the fifth inning with three runs to make it a one-run game. The Raiders scored two more runs in the sixth inning, defeating the Huskies 7-4.
On Friday, the teams returned to the diamond. Prior to the first pitch, the Raiders honored five seniors.
Junior Chase Zurawski put the Raiders on the board in the first with an RBI single to right field. The Huskies would respond with six runs over the next three innings to take a 6-1 lead.
The Raiders retaliated in the bottom of the fourth, scoring seven runs in the inning. Five Raiders were issued free passes to bring in three of the seven runs. SU received base hits from sophomore Lake Lloyd and freshman Jackson LoBianco to bring the remaining four runs home.
The Raiders went on to win the first game of the Friday doubleheader 9-8.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Raiders started with a three-run deficit after the first inning. The Raiders offense responded in the second inning with an RBI single from Lloyd and Zurawski, scoring off a throwing error. The Raiders trailed 4-1.
After a scoreless third inning for both sides, the Huskies increased their lead with an additional two runs in the fourth inning. The Raiders plated a pair of their own in the fifth, but it would not be enough as the game was called due to inclement weather after five innings of play, SU losing 6-3.
The Raiders finish their 2021 campaign at 17-19 and in fifth place in the Eastern Division.
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