WILSON, N.C. - Millersville out-hit homestanding Barton by five, and the Bulldogs committed three errors, but the Marauders could not find the timely hit it needed in Sunday's series-ending 3-0 loss.
Millersville (1-2) stranded 10 runners, leaving the bases loaded in the top of the ninth. Eight different Marauders accounted for the team's nine hits with
Bren Taylor producing two.
Conor Cook (0-1), the reigning PSAC East Rookie of the Year, gave up one run on two hits and four walks over three innings.
Kris Pirozzi and
Christian Wingard combined for 3 1/3 shutout innings of relief work. Barton starter Alex Hart (1-0) powered through 8 2/3 innings, throwing 127 pitches and striking out 13. Jared Davis got the game's final out for his first save of the season.
Barton improved to 3-1 with the victory.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
• Barton made Cook work in the first inning, drawing three walks, two of which came on full counts. The third walk of the inning, drawn by Jared Beebe, followed Raymond Paniagua's single, and it pushed in the Bulldog's first run.
• Millersville threatened with at least two runners on base in the first, fourth, fifth and ninth innings. In the first,
Jimmy Losh led off with a walk, and Taylor singled, but Hart quickly retired the side, striking out two and getting
Luke Trainer to fly out. A
Jimmy Kirk single and a Trainer walk followed by a passed ball put two Marauders in scoring position with one out in the fourth, but again, Hart ended the treat with back-to-back strikeouts.
Chase Simmons led off the fifth with a single and moved up to second on an error. But he was throw out trying to steal third. That proved costly as Losh and Taylor later singled before the inning ended.
• Free passes cost the Marauders again in the fifth, as Dylan Scaranda was hit by a pitch after two quick outs. Luke Chung drew a full-count walk, and Ryan McIsaac doubled home both for a 3-0 Bulldogs' lead.
• In the ninth,
Keegan Soltis singled with two outs, ending the day for Hart.
Pete Vaccaro laced a pinch-hit single as well.
Tyler Wright's ground ball to second base was misplayed, loading the bases, but Davis scored the save with a full-count strikeout.
NOTES
• Barton is the first team since East Stroudsburg in 2018 to shutout Millersville in a regular season game of at least seven innings.
• Hart's 13 strikeouts were a career high.
• Losh and Wright had at least one hit in all three games of the series.
UP NEXT
• Millersville is off for two weeks until Feb. 19, when it takes a trip to Kinston, N.C., for four games with Nyack and Indiana (Pa.).
