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Millersville

Blankenbiller
3
Clarion CLAR-B 3-8
4
Winner Millersville MILL-B 16-4
Clarion CLAR-B
3-8
3
Final
4
Millersville MILL-B
16-4
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Clarion CLAR-B 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 8 1
Millersville MILL-B 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 X 4 7 4

W: Blankenbiller, Garet (2-0) L: A. Tucci (0-1) S: Prince, Harry (1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Ethan Hulsey, Director of Athletic Communications

Marauders survive close call with Clarion

MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – Millersville got just enough timely hitting to overcome a lackluster day in the field and edge visiting Clarion by the narrowest of margins, 4-3. 

Clarion (3-8) came within inches of the game-tying run, and Millersville avoided an unraveling in the top of the ninth when catcher Joseph Cava recovered a wild pitch at the backstop and placed a perfect throw to Harry Prince, who tagged Daren Byars out on a bang-bang play at the plate for the 27th out of the game. The Marauders entered the inning leading 4-2, and Prince retired the first two batters before an error opened the door for Clarion to rally. After the error, Clarion put three more runners on with a single, hit batsman and a bases-loaded walk to pull within one. 

Marauder miscues were a theme. A balk and a wild pitch set up Clarion's second run, and the first run of the game, which gave Clarion a 1-0 lead in the third, was unearned after a throw to third on a stolen base attempt skipped into left field. But the Marauders manufactured some offense. In the bottom of the third, Bren Taylor purposely caught himself in a run down between first and second, allowing Jimmy Losh to race home from third. Millersville also received RBI single from Chase Simmons and Sam Morris, while Joseph Cava, making his collegiate debut, hit a solo home run in his third career at bat. That blast over the left-center field wall gave Millersville a 3-1 lead in the sixth. 

The ninth-inning play at the plate wasn't Clarion's only close call of the game. In the first, Caden Contant tagged up and ran home on a fly ball to left but was called out for leaving the base early. In the seventh, with two runners on base, Clarion's hitter dribbled a ball in front of the plate, and Cava's throw to first hit the runner and ricocheted into foul territory, but the batter was called out for running in fair territory and interfering with the play. 

Playing their seventh game in five days, the Marauders utilized five arms to work through nine innings. Colby Gromlich made his 2023 debut and pitched 1 2/3 innings in a start. Garet Blankenbiller (2-0) picked up the win by going 3 1/3 innings in relief, allowing one unearned run on two hits and four walks. Evan Rishell provided two shutout innings. Harry Prince earned his first save with 1 2/3 innings pitched. 

Millersville, voted No. 1 in this week's NCBWA Atlantic Region poll, improved to 16-4 while Clarion dropped to 3-8. 

UP NEXT
Millersville is scheduled to start PSAC East play Friday at Mansfield. 
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