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MARAUDERS KEEP SEASON ALIVE WITH THRILLING EXTRA-INNING VICTORY OVER SHIPPENSBURG

May 2 – The Millersville University baseball team staved off elimination Friday afternoon with a thrilling come-from-behind, extra-inning victory over defending league champ Shippensburg by a final of 13-8 in the quarterfinals of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) playoffs.

Millersville will face Kutztown Friday evening at 7 p.m. with the winner earning the right to take on West Chester on Saturday for the PSAC Championship.  The winner of the game tonight will have to defeat West Chester twice tomorrow to claim the championship. 

With the Marauders trailing 8-7 heading into the top of the ninth inning, right fielder Kent Gerdes (so. Lititz, Pa./Mansfield University) delivered a two-out, RBI-single to center that drove in left fielder Enrique Arroyo (sr. Bensalem, Pa./Dominican University) to send the game into extra innings.

In the extra frame, third baseman Cody Wile (jr. Lancaster, Pa./Penn Manor) executed a suicide squeeze that scored centerfielder Cory Phelan (so. Newark, DE/Charter School of Wilmington) and gave the Marauders a lead they would not relinquish.  First baseman Derek Kline (fr. Cleona, Pa./Shippensburg University), catcher Miles Gallagher (so. Lancaster, Pa./University of Pittsburgh), designated hitter Brett Rhoads (sr. Landisville, Pa./Hempfield) and Arroyo each crossed the plate before the end of the inning to complete the scoring for the Marauders.

MU collected 18 hits in all with Wile (4-for-6, 1 run, 4 RBI), Gerdes (3-for-5, 1 run, 5 RBI) and Phelan (3-for-6, 3 runs, 2 RBI) leading the way.

Marauder relievers Jesse Shablin (sr. Langhorn, Pa./Bucks CC) and Andrew Clemens (jr. York, Pa./CCBC-Essex) combined for five and one-third innings of shutout baseball by silencing the Red Raider bats.  The two relievers combined to give up just three hits as Clemens picked up his fourth win of the season.

Both teams scored early and often as the two teams found themselves in a 5-5 tie after three innings.

The two teams continued to seesaw through the middle three innings with the Marauders eventually finding themselves down by one after six (8-7).