Shippensburg University´s baseball team swept Pitt-Johnstown opening weekend, securing three victories in their first slate of home games of the 2024 season.
Friday’s game was an absolute thriller as the Raiders fell behind early, allowing several walks in the first inning and yielding four runs. Shippensburg answered in the bottom half of the first. The Raiders took the lead following a two-run single by second basemen Mike Heckman. The Raiders were up 6-4 going into the fourth until a failed pickoff attempt allowed Pitt-Johnstown to score once again to regain the lead 6-5.
The teams exchanged the lead once again until Pitt-Johnstown tied the game on a sacrifice fly, forcing extra innings. SU walked it off in the 11th on a throwing error by the second baseman to score outfielder Justin Byler. The Raiders won their home opener 8-7.
Shippensburg had a double-header on Sunday that started off with a seven-inning matchup. Pitchers Gabe Stotler and Brendan Anderson allowed only one earned run through the seven-inning game. The Raiders won Game 1, only tallying three hits. Two of the runs were scored off a throwing error by Pitt-Johnstown as Shippensburg captured Game 1 by a final score of 3-2.
The Raiders’ offense was more potent in Game 2, especially with their five-run eighth inning, propelling them in from of Pitt-Johnstown late thanks to a throwing error, allowing Erby Weller to score. Byler would follow suit with a two-run triple to put SU up 7-5. Ethan Miller got the win following three solid innings of relief, securing Shippensburg’s 8-5 victory to sweep the weekend.
Baseball action will return to Fairchild Field next weekend as the Raiders will take on Holy Family in a four-game series to open up the month of March. The games are scheduled for Friday and Saturday at noon and 2:30 p.m., respectively.
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