MANSFIELD, Pa. - The 21st-ranked Millersville baseball team ran its winning streak to 14 and polished off its third consecutive PSAC East series sweep with wins of 21-2 and 15-4 at Mansfield Saturday. It is the first time that Millersville has swept three-straight division series since the PSAC's four-game series format began in 2004.
Cordell Shannon notched his eighth-straight win in the opener and struck out six to become Millersville's all-time strike out leader with 236.
Millersville hit 10 home runs on the afternoon with
Dominic Hardaway and
Eric Callahan both hitting three.
The Marauders' 14-game winning streak is the longest since the 2016 club also won 14 in a row. Millersville is now 28-7 (15-1 PSAC East).
GAME 1 RECAP (MILLERSVILLE 21, MANSFIELD 2)
• Millersville scored its most runs against a PSAC East opponent since April 23, 2001 and hit six home runs for the second time this season. Hardaway hit two and
Jimmy Cain hit his first career grand slam.
Cole Friese hit his team-leading eighth homer of the season.
Luke Trainer hit his second in as many games, and
Eric Callahan hit the first of his three on the day.
• Millersville totaled 17 hits and drew six walks including three by Trainer. Callahan went 3-for-5 with three runs and three RBIs. Hardaway also went 3-for-5 with three runs and drove in five. Cain was 2-for-2 with a walk, three runs and five RBIs.
• Trainer hit a two-run blast and Callahan followed with a solo shot in a four-run first inning. The Marauders totaled 17 runs in the first four innings including 10 in a third inning that featured six hits and five walks drawn.
• Shannon (8-1) started and logged three innings, but exited with the Marauders firmly in control. The bullpen of
John Turner,
Paul Wilson,
Kris Pirozzi and
Alex Mykut did not allow a hit over the final four innings.
GAME 2 RECAP (MILLERSVILLE 15, MANSFIELD 4)
• Mansfield led 2-0 entering the fifth, but Millersville rallied with a seven-run fifth and continued to pull away with seven more in the sixth.
• The Marauders totaled 19 hits, and seven Marauders had two or more.
Kaylor Kulina, Trainer and Hardaway had three apiece.
• A leadoff walk, wild pitch, throwing error and sacrifice fly gave Mansfield a 2-0 lead through four. The Marauders immediately retaliated with the first six batters of the fifth reaching base. Kulina tied the game with a two-run double, and the Marauders kept scoring. Callahan hit a three-run homer, capping a seven-run, six-hit inning.
• The sixth inning featured back-to-back-to-back home runs from Callahan,
Christian Del Toro and Hardaway.
•
Tyler Yankosky (4-0) earned a win for the second consecutive day. He pitched the fourth inning and did not allow a hit.
WHAT COACH JON SHEHAN HAD TO SAY
• "It keeps my guard up because it gets harder and harder to focus pitch to pitch when you are on a winning streak. It gets easier to get lackadaisical and lose focus. The key for us is to stay locked in on every pitch and keep playing good baseball."
• "Cordell is a winner. he is Mr. consistency. I don't remember him ever going out and punching out 15. He is super consistent. He knows when he needs to get a strikeout."
• "Callahan battled through a lot last year. We didn't have a lot of depth. Having him healthy has been a plus. He is maturing like a lot of our guys in the lineup. He is swinging at good pitches and his confidence is through the roof."
• "The offense scoring like this takes the pressure off the pitching. The pitching has been very consistent and the guys can relax on the mound."
NOTES
• The current 12-game winning streak is Millersville's longest since the 2016 club won 14 in a row from March 31-April 22.
• Shannon's 236 career strikeouts moved him ahead of Chris Murphy (2013-15) and Matt Wagner (200-03) on Millersville's all-time list and into a tie for 20th in PSAC history with Shippensburg's Evan Englebrook (2001-04). Shannon also improved to 30-8 in his career and is now just the second pitcher in program history with 30 wins. He ranks fourth in PSAC history.
• Callahan matched career highs with five RBIs in both games.
• Millersville has hit 37 home runs in 35 games. The total is already the most in a season since the 2016 team hit 43 in 60 games.
UP NEXT
• Millersville starts its series with West Chester on the road on Friday, April 19.
