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Millersville

Millersville vs. West Chester in game 2 of a baseball doubleheader at Cooper Park in Millersville on Friday, May 3, 2024. Mark Palczewski/Millersville Athletics.
Mark Palczewski/Millersville Ath
5
Millersville MILL-B 37-14
6
Winner Indiana (Pa.) IUP-B 32-13
Millersville MILL-B
37-14
5
Final
6
Indiana (Pa.) IUP-B
32-13
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Millersville MILL-B 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 1 0 5 7 0
Indiana (Pa.) IUP-B 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 1 1 6 10 0

W: Derrick Shields (5-4) L: Gromlich, Colby (3-6)

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

IUP eliminates Millersville with walk-off win

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - Ricardo Aponte's bouncing grounder to second base was enough to bring in the game-winning run as Indiana (Pa.) walked off with a 6-5 win and eliminated Millersville from the PSAC Tournament for the second season in a row. 

Millersville (37-14) led 5-4 entering the bottom of the eighth, but IUP (32-13) scored a run in each of the final two innings. It was the third time since 2011 that IUP has beaten Millersville in the first round of the PSAC Tournament. Millersville has now lost five consecutive games for the first time since 2012. Three of the losses were by one in the opponent's final at-bat, and Millersville held leads with three or fewer innings to play in four. 

Wednesday's seesaw, first-round match-up featured five lead changes, as both teams rallied from deficits. Matthew Williams, who went 3 for 4 with two RBIs, started a two-run seventh inning in which Millersville evened the score at 4-2 on an IUP balk, and Jeff Sabater squeeze bunt. Williams then gave the Marauders a 5-4 lead in the top of the eighth with a single between third and shortstop. 

Elijah Dunn gave IUP life in the bottom of the eighth with a pinch-hit, one-out double. Millersville went to the bullpen, replacing Evan Rishell with Cole Fisher, but a full-count walk was followed by a wild pitch, moving two runners into scoring position. Robert Carfagno blooped a single into shallow center, bringing home the tying run. Colby Gromlich, Millersville's third pitcher of the inning, quickly got a 4-6-3 double-play to end the inning and keep the score tied. 

Millersville, however, went 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth, and in the bottom, Gromlich walked No. 8 hitter Davin Landers on four pitches. Following a strikeout, Harrison Pontoli single to right putting runners at the corners. Aponte then hit a slow bouncer on the first pitch of his at-bat toward second baseman Mark McNelly. McNelly attempted an inning-ending double play rather than cut down Landers, who was racing from third to home. McNelly's flip to Amani Jones picked up one out, but there was no play to be made on Aponte at first. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • Gromlich (3-6) took the pitching loss while IUP reliever Derrick Shields (5-4) earned the win by working three innings, allowing one run on four hits and no walks. Millersville starter Carson Kulina allowed four runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. After making 11 consecutive starts of at least five innings with no more than two runs allowed, Kulina allowed nine runs in 8 1/3 innings over his last two starts. 
  • Evan Rishell pitched three innings in relief. He exited with a runner on base, and that runner came home to score with Fisher on the mound. 
  • Williams accounted for three of Millersville's seven hits and had a hand in three of the team's five runs. Pontoli led IUP with three hits. 
  • Hunter Stevens, making his collegiate postseason debut, hit his seventh home run of the season, tying the score at 2-2 in the fifth.  
  • Sabater stole three bases. 
UP NEXT
  • While Millersville was ranked No. 1 in last week's NCAA Atlantic Regional rankings, it has since dropped five in a row. The Marauders' resume should still be strong enough to make its 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The NCAA Selection Show is Sunday at 10:30 p.m. on ncaa.com. 

 
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