HOUSTON, Texas - A first-inning, three-run home off the bat of senior Cole Friese and three strong starting innings from Alex Mykut paved the way to an 8-3 Millersville victory over No. 24 Arkansas-Monticello Sunday evening at Minute Maid Park. 

No. 19 Millersville capped its weekend in the big league park with a 2-1 record and its lone loss coming to No. 4-ranked Central Missouri. On Sunday, the Marauders totaled 10 hits, including three from sophomore Jimmy Losh, who reached base in all five plate appearances and scored twice. The top four in Millersville's lineup (with Losh batting second) did most of the damage, accounting for all eight runs scored and six of the seven RBIs.  

Arkansas-Monticello loaded the bases three times and put at least two runners on base in six of the innings but managed just one run in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• After Mykut escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the first, Eric Callahan led off the bottom of the first with a single up the middle and Losh followed suit. Friese then lifted a 1-0 pitch into the left field stands for a 3-0 Marauder lead. Livan Cordova then walked Luke Trainer and Jimmy Cain, and after Nick Mancuso sacrificed the runners into scoring position, Manning Brookens drove in Cain with a RBI ground out. 
• After a shaky first inning, Mykut settled in. He struck out the side in the second, and his hitters then opened up a 7-0 lead with three unearned runs. Losh reached on a one-out error and Friese was hit by a pitch. Then, on a 3-0 count, Trainer tripled to deep center field. He came home to score on Arkansas-Monticello's second error of the inning. 
• A bases-loaded walk brought home a run for Arkansas-Monticello in the fourth, but reliever Bobby Dorta stranded three runners with a ground out to Losh at second base. Arkansas-Monticello plated a run in the fifth off of Dorta, and one more in the sixth off of Christian Wingard. But Millersville extended its lead in the eighth. Callahan beat out a roller to second base for an infield single and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Friese. 
• Junior Aidan Welch came on in the seventh and also worked the eighth. Arkansas-Monticello put two runners on base in both innings, but Welch ended the seventh with a strikeout and ground out. He left two in scoring position in the eighth with a strikeout. Liam Grande, making his first appearance since 2018, struck out two in a 1-2-3 ninth. 
 
 INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Friese drove in four of Millersville's eight runs, reached base three times and scored twice. Losh went 3-for-4 with three singles, a walk and two runs. Brookens added a double in the third. 
• Mykut struck out six, giving up one hit and two walks in three innings. Dorta was credited with the win after logging 1 1/3 innings. Wingard, Welch and Grande all struck out two. Millersville pitchers finished with 13 strikeouts. 
 
POST-GAME REACTION FROM HEAD COACH JON SHEHAN
• On the team's offensive performance: "Situational hitting. We executed with the infield in, got a bunt down, hit with two strikes. We had four times tonight where we situationally hit and that was the story of the game offensively. We situationally hit, they didn't. They left a bunch of runners on base, and we capitalized."
• On the difference between Saturday and Sunday's games: "I'm not a big rah-rah guy but you can definitely tell when the energy is sapped and when the energy is good. We are more focused on communication and being in the game. We just weren't there yesterday but today we were. That was a very big positive. The leadership got together a little bit before the game and had a good talk. We put an aggressive plan together. Even though we didn't score in the middle of the game it felt like we were still barreling some balls up and making the pitcher uncomfortable."
• On playing three games at Minute Maid Park: "Thanks to Tom Duff, Jeff Sollars and a number of alumni, some heavy-hitters who made it possible for these guys to get down here. Thanks to Miles Gallagher in the administration. For a lot of these guys it is the closest they will get to playing the majors. It's a childhood dream to play in a park like this. Hopefully they can look back and tell their kids they played in Minute Maid Park. It's a pretty cool thing to step in the same batting cage as players who won a World Series. We appreciate everyone who helped make it happen."

NOTES
• Today's game was the first-ever meeting between Millersville and Arkansas-Monticello. 
• Trainer's triple was the second of his career. Friese's home run was the 18th of his career. 
 
UP NEXT
• Millersville gets just four days off before it returns to the field. The Marauders travel to North Carolina for a four-game series at Barton starting on Feb. 7.