Game 1 | Game 2
Millersville, Pa. - The Millersville pitching staff limited visiting Indiana (Pa.) to two runs over 14 innings, and with Mike August's 6-for-6 performance at the plate the ninth-ranked Marauders swept the Crimson Hawks by scores of 13-1 and 3-1.
August went 3-for-3 with three runs and three RBIs in game one and followed that effort with three singles and two runs in the nightcap. He was the catalyst for an offense that produced 22 hits in the twinbill. Corey Phelan added two hits in each game.
On the mound, Tad Barton overcame a rough first inning to improve to 5-0. He allowed just three hits over six innings. In game two, starter Brian Black pitched 5.1 outstanding innings, allowing just two hits and a run. Zach Eckley closed out the game for his sixth save of the year.
Millersville improved to 33-8 overall, and the two wins were important in the regional standings. The NCAA's most recent Atlantic Region Poll was released as the Marauders played game one, and it ranked them No. 1 for the second week in a row. The top-ranked team following the conference tournaments earn the right to host the regional.
In the opener, IUP struck first with back-to-back hits to the start the game. Barton, however, escaped without allowing another run and cruised over the next five innings. He allowed just four base runners the rest of the way. His teammates picked him up quickly. In the bottom of the opening inning, the Marauders drew two walks and ripped three singles to take a 4-1 lead.
The Marauder bats hammered IUP starter Mitch Perez (2-3), who allowed 11 runs on 10 hits and three walks in four innings. Along with August's three hits, Derek Kline went 3-for-3 and scored three times. Zach Stone plated three runs and scored twice. Phelan went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and Jeff Heisey and Ryan Chesler both drove in two.
Runs didn't come as easily against game two starter Kyle Heane (0-3). Millersville manufactured a run in the second on a Carlos Medina sacrifice fly, but Heane kept the Marauders off the board until the sixth.
Black breezed through five innings but ran into trouble in the fifth. The tying run reached third base, and Coach Jon Shehan called on lefty Jason Long. Long gave up a single against a drawn-in infield to Vern Powell but escaped without further damage.
In the bottom of the sixth, Stone started a rally with a one-out single. August followed with his third single of the game, and Chris Edgar, who left game one with an injury, returned as a pinch hitter and delivered a single to center. Stone scored to give Millersville the lead. Ryan Chesler then gave the Marauders some insurance with a RBI single of his own.
The seventh inning belonged to Eckley. The first batter was hit by a pitch and then stole second. Eckley walked the next batter to put the tying run on first base. Eckley, however, rolled a 6-4-3 double play and registered a strikeout for the final out of the game.
All but one of Millersville's 22 hits in the doubleheader were singles. Millersville has now scored double-digit runs in six of the last 11 games and has held teams to just one run in three consecutive games.
Already guaranteed a spot in the PSAC Tournament, the Marauders can wrap up its second PSAC East crown since 2008 with a win Friday against East Stroudsburg. The team's five seniors will be recongized before the doubleheader. First pitch is 1 p.m. Fans can watch the game live via All-Access.
