Game 1
Game 2

Millersville, Pa. - The Millersville baseball team earned a split in a high-scoring doubleheader against Philadelphia Tuesday afternoon at Millersville University Baseball Stadium. The Marauders needed extra innings in game one to earn a 10-9 win but fell 10-7 in game two.

Millersville (9-12) recorded 24 hits on the day including 16 in game one, but Philadelphia (2-9), which entered the game with only 19 runs scored in nine games, totaled 27 hits and 19 runs in the doubleheader. Philadelphia also committed three errors in game one and six in game two.

In the opener, the Marauders fell behind 8-1 following a six-run fourth for the Rams. Starter Kyle Belanchik was bounced after 3.2 innings, but the Millersville bats got hot and the bullpen came through to help the Marauders rally. They answered Philadelphia's six-run inning with a five hits and six runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. Millersville took the lead for the first time in the fifth thanks to an RBI triple from Chris Edgar and a run-scoring single from Scott Slembecker.

Philadelphia retied the game in the top of the sixth and neither team could score in the seventh. Reliever Keith Bires went 3.1 innings, allowing just one run, and Andrew Hunt came on and pitched two shutout innings, giving Millersville a chance to win the game in the bottom of the ninth.

Keith Spencer led off the inning with a walk and Slembecker and #Miller# each followed with well-placed bunt singles, loading the bases for Ryan McCormick. With the infield drawn in, McCormick hit a chopper right at the shortstop, but catcher, trying to get the force at the plate, could not handle the throw, giving Millersville the 10-9 win.

Hunt (2-0) earned the victory for the Marauders. Eight Marauders had at least one hit, and the team swiped six bases. Miller went 4-for-5 with an RBI, and Slembecker totaled three hits, two RBIs and a pair of stolen bases.

Philadelphia bounced back from that close defeat to jump out to a 4-0 lead in game two after just two at bats. Millersville followed with six of their own in the bottom of the frame, but Philadelphia starter Kevin McGovern settled and held the Marauders to just one more run over the next four innings before the game was called for darkness after six.

Only two of Millersville's seven runs were earned. The Marauders also used four pitchers--none of them working more than two innings. Paul Markowski (0-1), who went just one-third of an inning, suffered the loss after allowing three runs on two hits.

McCormick and Casey Cooper each contributed two hits. McCormick and Michael DeSanto drove in two runs each as well.

Millersville returns to action on Friday when it hosts PSAC East rival Bloomsburg for a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.
Starter