MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - No. 10 Millersville gained some separation in the PSAC East standings, rallying twice for a pair of road wins over rival West Chester.
Millersville (33-6, 19-3) trailed 2-1 in game one before erupting for five runs in the fifth inning, three in the sixth and another in the seventh inning en route to a 10-7 victory. In game two, freshman
Troy Chamberlin's fourth-inning, three-run home run erased a 3-1 deficit and pushed the Marauders to an 8-5 win. Millersville has won nine in a row and the sweep snapped a four-game skid against the Golden Rams.
Jeff Sabater and
Keegan Soltis led the Marauders at the plate in the opener, both going 2 for 4 with a triple and three RBIs.
Matthew Williams hit a two-out homer in the top of the first inning. Sabater's two-run single in the fifth erased the 2-1 deficit, and Soltis helped the Marauders pull away with a triple in the very next at-bat.
Amani Jones added an RBI double in the sixth, followed by a Sabater triple and Soltis RBI single. Jones finished with two hits and two RBIs.
Donis Rodriguez drew three walks and scored three times.
Millersville's starter
Connor Blantz (5-1) allowed four runs in 4 1/3 innings, and a quartet of relievers worked Millersville through the seventh.
Gavin Lill entered in the seventh with the bases loaded and recorded the final three outs.
In game two,
Bren Taylor started Millersville's comeback with a single to lead off the fourth.
Jimmy Kirk drew a four-pitch walk, and after
Sam Morris bunted both runners into scoring position, Chamberlin hit a blast to left field, putting the Marauders on top for good.
With Millersville leading 7-5 in the seventh, Taylor started the inning with a triple and scored on Kirk's sacrifice fly for some extra insurance. Taylor entered the series four hits away from breaking the all-time PSAC record, and his triple boosted his career total to 305.
Both teams finished the game with 10 hits. Sabater and Morris both went 2 for 3.
Conor Cook worked 4 2/3 innings, allowing five runs on 10 hits before
Matt Shamany pitched two before running into trouble in the seventh. West Chester threatened, drawing a pair of walks and a hit batsman with two outs, bringing the tying run to the plate. Lill entered and got the final out on a fly to center.
Millersville and West Chester continue the series Saturday at Cooper Park. It is Senior Day for Millersville. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.
