Johnstown, Pa. - Survive and advance. Millersville baseball did just that in Wednesday's wild, 10-inning, 10-9 win over Gannon in the opening round of the PSAC Tournament. The Marauders squandered a 7-0 lead but rallied from two runs down in the bottom of the ninth. And in the 10th, sophomore Cole Friese delivered a two-out, walk-off triple. 

Friese went 3 for 5 and drove in two runs, sparking a Millersville lineup that hit double-figure runs for just the second time since March 4. He also tracked down three fly balls in the right and left center field gaps, stealing surefire RBI hits from the Golden Knights. Millersville matched a season-high with 16 hits as well. Ted Williams reached base in all five at bats and scored all the way from first base on Friese's 10th inning hit. 

In the fifth inning, when Dominic Hardaway hit a mammoth home run over the 410 sign in center field and onto Johns Street, it looked like Millersville was on its way to becoming the first team to take advantage of the conference tournament's newly-instituted 10-run rule. But the seven-run lead was chopped to three in the seventh, and it would have disappeared entirely had Friese not tracked, dove and snared Mark Colosi's drive to left center to end the inning with the bases loaded. Gannon, however, scored five more in the eighth, drawing three walks to go with a two-run double and back-to-back RBI singles. 

Now trailing 9-7, and after leaving two on in the eighth, Millersville was down to its final three outs. It needed only three swings of the bat to tie the game. Kaylor Kulina led off with a single to center. Ben Snyder ripped a double off the towering wall in left. Jimmy Cain slapped a single between the first and second basemen, driving in both runners and tying the game. 

After Millersville reliever Aidan Welch mowed through the Gannon lineup in order in the 10th, Callahan drew a one-out walk, stole second and advanced to third when the catcher's throw sailed into center. With one out, Williams hit a sharp ground ball to the third baseman. Callahan broke for home and was pegged at the plate for the second out. Friese made amends, however, hitting the first pitch he saw into the right field corner. Williams, breaking on contact, scored ahead of the throw home. 

Millersville somehow survived its pitching staff walking 13 batters. Gannon did not have a hit through five innings yet had stranded seven runners. Gannon then sent 21 batters to the plate in the seventh and eighth innings. Of Gannon's 12 hits, 10 came in those two innings as well. Millersville started freshman Andrew Mayhew, who pitched three hitless innings, walking six. The night ended with Millersville using seven pitchers. Welch, a little-used freshman making just his eighth appearance of the season, earned his first career win, striking out the first four batters he faced and tossing a pair of perfect frames. 

Wednesday's game was eerily similar to the only other meeting between Millersville and Gannon. In the 2013 PSAC Tournament, Gannon rallied from a 5-0 deficit only for Millersville to win on a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth. Millersville has now had a walk-off hit in four of its last five PSAC Tournament appearances. Millersville has also won five consecutive opening round games. 

Friese and Williams both finished with three hits, and Hardaway, Callahan and Snyder each had two. 

The Marauders will now play the winner of the Mercyhurst/Shippensburg match-up Thursday at 6:30 p.m.