Game 1 | Game 2

Millersville, Pa. - For the first 13 innings of Friday's home doubleheader with No. 5-ranked West Chester, Millersville could not get the one big hit it needed. That hit finally came in the bottom of the seventh of game two. With the Marauders trailing 2-1, freshman David Pine tripled in the tying run, and Zach Stone lifted the Marauders to a win with a sacrifice fly to right. West Chester edged the Marauders 2-1 in the opener.

After the close game one loss and six innings full of missed opportunities in game two, the Marauders (20-17, 8-10 PSAC East) were on the verge of being swept by the PSAC East front-running Golden Rams (26-4, 11-3 PSAC East). Instead, the home team was picked up by a pair of first-year players. Tyler McDonald led off the inning with a bouncing single up the middle. Shortstop Josh Heyne gloved the ball and the throw went wild at first base, allowing McDonald to advance to second. The throwing error made no difference, though, as Pine followed with a blast to right-center. The speedy catcher hustled into third as McDonald crossed the plate with the tying run.

Starter Fred Breidenbach (5-1), who suffered his first loss of the season, exited after Pine's hit, and reliever Kyle Weary notched a strikeout against the first batter he faced. West Chester then elected to intentionally walk Evan King and Mike August to load the bases, setting up a double play opportunity and the chance to face Zach Stone, who to that point was 0-for-6 on the day with two double-play ground outs. Stone, however, added to his team-leading RBI total by lofting a 1-2 pitch to right field. The catch was made for the second out, but Pine raced home from third to score the game-winning run.

Tad Barton (4-1) notched a complete-game victory, holding the nation's No. 4-ranked hitting team to just three hits. After a tough second inning in which he walked two, hit one and gave up a RBI triple to Joe Wendle, Barton settled and cruised the rest of the way. He retired nine in a row at one point and sat down 13 of the last 14 batters he faced. Barton has now won his last three starts-- all three complete games. He's allowed just three earned runs and 15 hits in his last 27 innings.

Millersville's first run came in the bottom of the third when Jeff Heisey led off with a triple, and King scored him with a sacrifice fly.

Millersville out-hit West Chester by a 9-3 margin in game two. Kurt Seiders, McDonald and King all recorded two hits.

Millersville also out-hit the Golden Rams 7-6 in the opener, but it was a myriad of miscues that cost the Marauders dearly. West Chester entered the game with a .343 team batting average and two of the top three hitters in the PSAC. Brooks Rothschild (6-3) received some bad luck in the fourth with the game tied 0-0. Chris Pula led off with a single and the next batter pushed a slow roller to first base. Dan Johnson bobbled the ground ball, eliminating the opportunity for a double play but then threw it wide of first base. Both runners moved into scoring position with no outs.

The next two batters hit sacrifice flies to put West Chester in front 2-0 thanks to a pair of unearned runs.

Johnson redeemed himself at the plate in the following inning, hitting a double to deep centerfield. Seiders followed with a RBI single, and Chris Edgar walked to keep the two-out rally alive. With McDonald at the plate, West Chester starter Joe Gunkel (5-0) caught Seiders straying too far from second, whirled and picked him off to end the Millersville threat.

Rothschild kept West Chester off the board the rest of the game, but Millersville could not solve Gunkel. The Marauders managed just two hits and one runner in scoring position over the final three innings.

Entering Friday, West Chester had scored fewer than four runs just three times all season. Millersville's pitching staff did it in back-to-back games.

Seiders and McDonald both had three hits on the day.

Friday was also Military Appreciation Day at Marauder Park. The baseball team wore camo hats, and pitching coach Bob Preli, who served 30 years in the United States Coast Guard, threw out of the ceremonial first pitch.

Millersville travels to West Chester Saturday for two. The following day, Millersville heads to Indiana (Pa.) for a non-conference doubleheader.