West Chester, Pa. - Millersville brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh inning of both games Saturday, but the West Chester bullpen held on for a 9-5 win in the opener and a 9-7 win in game two. West Chester's sweep clinched its second consecutive regular season series win over Millersville.

It is the first time since 2007 and 2008 that West Chester has won a series against Millersville in back-to-back seasons.

For 17 consecutive games, Millersville held opponents to seven or fewer runs, but West Chester topped that mark in both games Saturday. Neither of Millersville's starters made it through the fourth. Eight of Millersville's previous nine starts pitched past the fourth.

Manning Brookens totaled five hits in the doubleheader.

GAME ONE
Millersville out-hit West Chester 11-9, recording its most hits in eight games. But four errors and four free passes helped West Chester  build an 8-1 lead before Millersville rallied to within striking distance in the seventh. But five unearned runs scored in the second put Millersville in a deep hole.

The second-inning damage was largely self-inflicted by the Marauders as they committed two errors and walked two before Nick Ward smashed a grand slam. In West Chester's three-run third, Millersvile hit a batter, walked one, balked in a run and committed its third error of the game.

Still, Millersville had a chance to tie the game in the seventh. Working against starter Mike Cipolla, Ben Snyder started the inning with a double and later scored on a Manning Brookens single to bring the score to 9-5. Eric Callahan was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. West Chester gave the ball to Tim Edwards, and with two outs, Edwards got pinch hitter Bobby Dorta to fly out to right field.

Brookens finished game one with three hits and two RBIs. Dominic Hardaway produced his fourth-consecutive two-hit game and hit his third home run of the season. Hardaway has boosted his average by 68 points over the last nine games. Snyer also had two hits for the fourth time in five games.

Cipolla (4-1) went 6 2/3, giving up four earned runs and five total. Millersville's starter Tyler Yankosky lasted just two innings, giving up seven runs (two earned) on three hits, two walks and two hit batsmen. He was also victimized by two Marauder errors.

GAME 2
Game two was Millersville's turn to build a sizable lead, but it could not on to it against the PSAC's top-scoring lineup. Millersville scored four in the second and two more in the third to build a 6-2 advantage, but in the fourth, West Chester tied the game with a four-run inning of its own. Three of those runs came on a three-run homer from Drew Jarmuz. Millersville momentarily retook the lead in the fifth when Eric Callahan hit a sacrifice fly. In the bottom of the inning, however, West Chester answered with a Jared Melone two-run single and a Zach Sheranko RBI single. One of those runs was set up by a Millersville error.

For the third consecutive game, Millersville brought the tying run the plate in its final at bat. For the third game in a row, Millersville could not capitalize. Manning Brookens hit a one-out single and eventually reached second base, but Anthony Scarpelli retired the next two batters for his second save in as many days.

Millersville starter Drew Miller lasted 3 2/3 innings, giving up six runs on seven hits and six walks. West Chester starter Bill Ford gave up three earned runs--six total--on four hits and two walks over three innings. West Chester committed four errors.

Melone went 4 for 4 and drove in three for the Golden Rams. Bobby Dorta led Millersville by going 2 for 2 with a walk and two runs scored. Brookens went 2 for 3 with two RBIs.

UP NEXT
Millersville completes its long-delayed series with Shippensburg on Tuesday at Fairchild Field. First pitch is 3:30 p.m.