Millersville, Pa. - Trailing PSAC East rival West Chester 4-0 in game two on Friday's doubleheader, Millersville stormed from behind, broke a 4-4 tie with a
Tyler Orris bases-clearing double in the sixth and won its PSAC record 21st consecutive game by a 14-4 final. The Marauders won the opener by a 12-3 score.
Millersville ran its record to 22-1 overall and 6-0 in PSAC East play with the sweep and improved to 17-5 against West Chester in regular season games since 2011. The 21 wins in a row establishes a conference record that was set by West Chester's 2012 club.
In game one,
Brandon Miller tossed six strong innings for his fifth win in as many decisions. Orris went 4-for-5 with two RBIs and a stolen base and carried the clutch hitting into the nightcap where he went 2-for-5, recording both of his hits and all four of RBIs in a 10-run bottom of the sixth.
Jeremy Musser produced four hits including two doubles and a triple in the twinbill.
Mitch Stoltzfus, the PSAC's leading hitter, extended his hitting streak to 21 games with a single in his final at bat of game two.
In the opener, Miller allowed only three hits and struck out seven and opened the game with three no-hit innings. With the starter cruising, the Marauder lineup provided him a sizable lead with a six-run bottom of the third.
Mitch Stoltzfus and Orris both drove in two runs in the inning. The runs kept coming for Millersville in the fourth when
Dan Stoltzfus swatted a three-run homer. Orris added a RBI sinle in the sixth, and
David Summerfield doubled in a run in the sixth.
West Chester made game two a tighter affair, jumping out to a 4-0 lead with a Shane Dressler homer in the second and three runs on four hits and a walk in the third. Marauder reliever
Logan Grant kept the game within reach, though. He entered with the bases loaded and no outs and deftly retired three consecutive batters. He then worked the next two innings, retiring nine of the 10 batters he faced without allowing a hit. Freshman
Mike Mock came on in the sixth and struck out the side.
With the bullpen keeping West Chester in check, the Marauder lineup was able to rally. In the bottom of the third, the Marauders responded with a four-run frame. Musser doubled in two runs, Summerfield followed with a single, and
Ben Snyder tied the game with a single up the middle.
The game stayed knotted at four until the bottom of the sixth. Summerfield drew a leadoff walk, Snyder was plunked and
Ted Williams drew a walk to load the bases. The first pitch that Orris saw was lined down the left field line, clearing the bases and giving the Marauders a 7-4 lead. The Marauders did not stop there, though.
Dan Neff drew a walk to extend the inning, and McCormick lined a two-run double into the left field corner. Two batters later, Musser tripled off the base of the wall in right, plating two more runs. Williams doubled in another run and Orris capped the 10-run rally with his fourth RBI of the inning.
Stephen Muscovitch pitched a shutout inning to give Millersville its record-setting 21st consecutive win.
Snyder reached base four games in the nightcap, totaling two hits, two runs and a RBI. Musser drove in four with a double and triple.
Millersville travels to West Chester Saturday for a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.