Marauders down Golden Eagles; Advance to play Seton Hill again

Thursday, May 14

Millersville, PA

2:15 PM

Millersville University

37-16

Charleston

25-31

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Charleston (W.V.)	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	1	4	7	1
Millersville	0	3	0	2	3	0	0	0	X	8	9	2

Marauders down Golden Eagles; Advance to play Seton Hill again

5/14/2026 5:41:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Ethan Hulsey, Director of Athletic Communications

MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - Freshmen sparked the Millersville Marauders on day one of the NCAA Atlantic Regional. Christo Hunsicker hit a home run and Eli Simonton pitched 6 2/3 strong innings against his hometown team, as the Marauders bounced Charleston on day one of the NCAA Atlantic Regional 8-4, setting up another postseason showdown with Seton Hill on Friday at noon.

Simonton warmed up for the game not knowing if he would start. It all depended on the result of the early game. He had pitched against Seton Hill in the PSAC Tournament last week. With Charleston the opponent, Simonton, a Charleston, W.Va. native, quickly prepped and surrendered just five hits and two earned runs.

"(Simonton) doesn't look like a true freshman," said Jon Shehan. "He's been that way all year. We saw it from him in his first inning. He's always ready to go...He attacks hitters. He's top 10 in the country in WHIP. He goes at people. He didn't have his best stuff today, but he battles and finds a way to give you a chance to win the game."

Simonton retired the first nine Golden Eagles but gave up three singles, committed an error and walked a hitter in the third, allowing Charleston to even the game at 3-3. But he escaped a two-on situation with an inning-ending ground ball and then settled. He kept the Golden Eagles scoreless for the next 2 2/3 innings while Millersville's bats retook the lead.

"We compounded some mistakes in the fourth inning," said Shehan. "We have to play better defense. The infield hit, we didn't communicate well up the middle. We still have room for growth. We keep teaching and we'll keep getting better."

Millersville put plenty of traffic on the bases early. Two reached in the first, and the Marauders loaded the bases in the second before Christian Cerone looped a single between third and short, driving in the game's first run. Matthew Williams doubled in a pair for a quick lead. After Charleston knotted the game at 3-3 in the fourth, Millersville responded in the bottom of the inning with two. Donis Rodriguez led off with a double and later scored on a wild pitch. Brady Ebbert's sacrifice fly brought home Jimmy Kirk. Hunsicker then led off the fifth with a solo shot. Rodriguez singled home Cerone, and a Charleston throwing error allowed Rodriguez to score.

"That was a wake-up call," said Shehan. "Charleston wasn't going to go away. They have seniors playing possibly their last day. They were going to battle to the end. It was a good thing for us to wake up there. At times, you can get a hangover after playing four games of good baseball. We didn't play clean baseball today, but we came away with the win."

Millersville (37-16) at Seton Hill (42-10) are right back where they were in 2025. Seton Hill rallied to beat Charleston 4-2 in Thursday's early game. One year ago at Cooper Park, Millersville and Seton Hill did the same to California on day one, setting up a best-of-three series, which Seton Hill won, taking two games on the final day after Millersville struck the first blow.

"It typically comes down to us and them at some point in the postseason," said Shehan. "We gave it to them last week, but I fully expect them to compete their butts off and it be a really good game tomorrow...No. 1, this is our park. I told the guys that we don't want to see other teams celebrate on our field anymore. It will be hard-fought battle. They have some really good arms and the top of their lineup is as good as anyone in the country. We have our work cut out for us."

First pitch from Cooper Park is set for 12 p.m.