Warriors split doubleheader with No. 10 Shippensburg

SU pitcher Ryan Lubreski earned his fourth win of the season in game 1 of the Warriors doubleheader against Shippensburg. Photo Credit / Tory Stella
SU pitcher Ryan Lubreski earned his fourth win of the season in game 1 of the Warriors doubleheader against Shippensburg. Photo Credit / Tory Stella
SU pitcher Ryan Lubreski earned his fourth win of the season in game 1 of the Warriors doubleheader against Shippensburg.
Photo Credit / Tory Stella

By Cory Nidoh 

Assistant Sports Editor

The ESU Warriors were finally able to get back on the diamond after numerous postponements had put the PSAC schedule to a halt in the eargoings of the season.

Warriors played visitor to the #10 team in Division II in Shippensburg and split the double-dip with a 7-4 win in the first game and fell in extra innings 7-6 in the second contest.

In the first game, senior catcher Nico Delerme continued his torrid hitting as he went 2-3 with a double, a solo home run, and a sacrifice as he drove in three runs.

Senior outfielder Chris Knott continued to etch his name in the ESU record book as now paces the Warriors all-time in total bases (299), RBI (130), extra-base hits (72), and triples (16).

Knott and Delerme just produce at will in the heart of the Warriors lineup as they entered with the second and third best batting average respectively in the PSAC coming into the week.

Knott, is crushing the ball to a tune of .443 and leads the PSAC in extra-base hits and 28 RBI on the year.

Delerme, isn’t too far behind his fellow teammate as the catcher is hitting .439 with six doubles and four homeruns.

Together, the dangerous duo combined to go 5-for-14 with six runs batted in.

Senior Ryan Lubreski had a solid outing on the hill as he earned his fourth win of the season as he tossed six innings allowing just three runs on five hits while striking out six Raiders.

The righty improved to 12-2 in 19 career starts for ESU.

In the second game, Shippensburg needed late inning heroics to salvage the split as they scored a pair of runs in the seventh and eighth innings to take the victory.

The game was tied in the third inning as redshirt sophomore Matt Festa held the winning run 90-feet away as he ended the seventh with a strikeout.

Festa, a transfer from Dominican, threw seven innings, allowed four runs on seven hits and struck out nine.

The Raiders were able to plate two runs in the seventh as they put a rally together with a leadoff double, and two, RBI singles to knot it at 4-4.

ESU answered right back as senior catcher Eric Forth got into scoring position with one-out double.

After sophomore third baseman Drew Hercik drew a walk and sophomore catcher Ryan Richards came up in the clutch with a pinch-hit RBI single that scored Forth.

Hercik later came around to score on an error during the play.

However, ESU’s closer Keenan Stare couldn’t close the door on the Raiders as the hosts scored three runs in the bottom half of the eighth for the walk-off 7-6 win.

Going into the doubleheader, the Warriors were 1-3 in PSAC play.

Coincidentally, they were 1-3 at the same point last season, which they finished as PSAC Champions.

In addition to breaking several school records, Chris Knott  leads the PSAC in extra base hits (16), and also has 28 RBI, which is second in the PSAC behind Mansfield’s Johnny LeClair.

Knott also leads the PSAC in slugging percentage (.722), followed by teammate Nico Delerme (.712).

Email Cory at:

cnidoh@live.esu.edu