Marauders dispatch Vulcans; Advance in PSAC Tournament

Wednesday, May 6

Slippery Rock, PA

11:00 AM

Millersville University

33-16

California (PA)

26-23

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

Photo by: Slippery Rock Sports Information

Marauders dispatch Vulcans; Advance in PSAC Tournament

5/6/2026 1:43:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Ethan Hulsey, Director of Athletic Communications

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - Wednesday's 8-3 opening round win over California (Pa.) was an exhibition in everything that the 2026 Millersville Marauders do well. Patience at the plate led to six walks and three hit batsmen. Marco Pulizzi and Jimmy Kirk added home runs while Alex Kuehn provided a quality start, helping the Marauders advance in the PSAC Tournament.

Millersville beat California in the final game of the PSAC Tournament to win the title in 2025, and it has now eliminated the Vulcans from tournament four times since 2011 and have won four consecutive opening round match-ups. The Marauders now draw PSAC West No. 1 seed Seton Hill on Thursday at 1 p.m.

One season ago, Coleman Fletcher pitched five shutout innings against the Marauders in the PSAC Tournament, but he struggled to find the strike zone early on Wednesday, and Millersville drew six free passes before Fletcher recorded an out in the second inning. He escaped with the bases loaded in the first but did not survive the second inning. He was pulled after filling the bases, and Donis Rodriguez broke the scoreless tie with a single down the left field line off Troy Persinger. Millersville manufactured three more runs with another hit-by-pitch, sacrifice fly from Xavier Smith and Christo Hunsicker single up the middle.

BSB: Walks will haunt. pic.twitter.com/R5vcqc5trw
— Millersville Marauders (@VilleMarauders) May 6, 2026

"Our offensive approach today was solid," said Millersville head coach Jon Shehan. "We took advantage of a few free passes and hit-by-pitches that ended up being the difference in the game. Marco Pulizzi had a huge swing, as did Kirk--just to take some pressure off the bullpen late in the game."

California went to its third pitcher of the game in the third inning, and Marco Pulizzi smacked an opposite-field home run to start the frame. Millersville added insurance runs late, including Kirk's 14th home run of the season in the eighth inning.

BSB: 14th 💣 of the season! pic.twitter.com/5DSsoSCGOu
— Millersville Marauders (@VilleMarauders) May 6, 2026

"We have had the tendency to try to do too much offensively at times this year," said Shehan. "I think senior hitters want to take the team on their back and a few younger guys have wanted to win jobs. It's made us over-aggressive at times. Today was much better. Aside from a few situations that we needed to put balls in play and failed to do so, our approach at the plate was solid."

BSB: Welcome to the postseason, Marco! pic.twitter.com/RCmgu4wB6b
— Millersville Marauders (@VilleMarauders) May 6, 2026

Hunsicker, Brady Ebbert and Rodriguez all finished with two hits. Ebbert also drew a walk to reach base three times. Matthew Williams drew two walks and swiped a base.

While Cal's pitchers could not work around traffic on the base paths, Kuehn was unfazed by base runners. In the top of the first inning, the Vulcans put runners on the corners with no outs, but Kuehn quickly sat down No. 3 hitter and All-PSAC West First Team pick Conner Evans with a strikeout and then got an inning-ending 6-3 double play. The second inning also started with a leadoff single, but Kuehn again rolled a double play to clear the bases. California put at least one runner on base in each of Kuehn's 6 2/3 innings but managed just two fifth-inning runs.

BSB: That's how you get out of a jam. pic.twitter.com/Wgk81HqFlm
— Millersville Marauders (@VilleMarauders) May 6, 2026

"Kuehn gave us another quality start," said Shehan. "He could have done a better job with the leadoff guy, but overall, he turned in a veteran performance by limiting damage."

In the seventh, with the Marauders leading 7-2, California picked up a run and still had two runners on base when Joe Morrissey entered and slammed the door on the rally with a three-pitch strikeout. Brady Grimes closed the game with two hitless, scoreless frames.

There has been at least one Millersville-Seton Hill match-up in 11 of the last 13 postseasons. Seton Hill holds an 11-9 edge in postseason meetings, but Millersville is 3-1 in PSAC Tournament games, including a 5-2, 13-inning win in last season's semifinal.