MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - Amani Jones broke up a no-hit bid with an RBI single in the fifth and then ripped a walk-off double in the bottom of the seventh to give Millersville a 3-2 win in Sunday's series finale against Mercy. The Marauders also won Sunday's opener, 10-1. 

Winners of 10 in a row, the Marauders improved to 29-5 with the series sweep, and game two marked the first time since March 1 that they had to bat in the bottom of the seventh. Jones provided two of Millersville's four hits, and his heroics came after a lengthy slump that included an 0 for 18 stretch before this weekend's games. 

"His approach was good all day," said Millersville head coach Jon Shehan. "He hit some balls really hard, and that's the name of the game. You just have to stay relentless, continue to have good at-bats and not get frustrated. It's not a game of exit velocity. It's a game of execution. Your batting average on balls in play is not going to be 1.000. He could have gotten more frustrated. This game is funny. You struggle and struggle, but if you do things the right way, the game gives back, and you get a game-winner."

Mercy starter Ryan Rozinski retired 14 of the first 15 Marauders he faced, issuing just one walk in the third, but after starting the fifth with back-to-back flyouts, Rozinski lost command. He plunked Justin Taylor on a low curveball and then hit Jimmy Kirk in the back with another curve that slipped from his grip. Jones bounced a seeing-eye single through the right side to put the Marauders on the board. With pinch-runner Hunter Stevens at third, the speedy Jeff Sabater dropped a perfectly placed bunt down the third base line. Stevens slid home well ahead of the throw from the third baseman, tying the game at 2-2. 

Millersville reliever Evan Rishell, who got the final two outs of the top of the fifth, shutout Mercy in the sixth and seventh, and in the bottom of the seventh, free passes once again haunted the Mavericks. Taylor drew a four-pitch walk to start. With one out, Jones pulled a fastball into the right-center field gap. Taylor scored without a play at the plate. 

"A lot of these guys like Amani who have transferred in haven't played in truly winning programs," said Shehan. "You have to learn how to win and how to be a part of this culture. You get a big hit like that, that's what we do here. That may sound arrogant, but it's expected. Now he's a part of it."

Rishell (1-0) picked up his first win of the season after navigating 2 2/3 innings, scattering four hits and striking out one. Zack Tukis made the first start of his career and was dominant through four innings, striking out three and allowing one single and one walk. It was the first time that he had pitched more than one inning, and he threw 71 pitches. 

"He has overpowering stuff," said Shehan. "As long as he is around the plate, he is going to be tough to beat and tough to score on. I'm excited about it. It was a risk knowing he hadn't thrown more than one inning in his career."

Tukis' fastball hit 97 miles per hour in the first inning, and that pitch paired with a wipe-out slider is why he has allowed just one hit 10 1/3 innings. After issuing 15 walks in the first 7 2/3 innings of his career, Tukis has walked just two in his last six innings. Tukis got outs in three full-count situations Sunday. 

"His reputation is not who he is right now," said Shehan. "He's shown us really good stuff. He's putting two and three pitches around the zone. That's who he is now. He had more of a starter mentality today, making guys put balls in play. He's overcome a lot in his career, and it's fun to see a kid like that be successful."

There was very little drama in Millersville's game one victory. No. 3 hitter Mark McNelly doubled in a run, and Sam Morris hit a three-run home run for a four-run first inning. The Marauders added two more runs in the second inning and led 6-0 before Mercy scratched across its lone run in the sixth. 

Sabater went 2 for 4, scored twice and stole two bases to tie the single-season Millersville record at 40. McNelly doubled twice. Cole Houser went 2 for 3 with a walk and a run. Morris drove in four runs. 

Alex Mykut improved to 8-0 with another dominating start. He struck out six without issuing a walk and gave up five singles, needing 72 pitches to work six innings. With a healthy lead, Millersville went to Garet Blankenbiller in the seventh, and he struck out two in a perfect inning. 

The non-conference sweep sets the stage for a collision of streaking, nationally-ranked teams on Friday, April 12 at Cooper Park as East Stroudsburg, 16-0 in the PSAC East, brings a 25-game winning streak up against the 15-1 Marauders.

"We are really excited," said Shehan. "We know it's a big weekend coming up, and we aren't shying away from it. This is why guys come here to play--to play in these types of games. It's going to have a postseason feel. We are going to be ready."