Box Score / NCAA Tournament selection show (Sunday, 10 p.m.)

JOHNSTOWN – Shippensburg scored all of its runs with two outs in the fifth inning and held off East Stroudsburg University's eighth-inning comeback for a 5-4 win to send the Warriors home from the PSAC Baseball Tournament on Thursday morning at Point Stadium.

ESU (25-18) rallied with a late-inning comeback for the second straight day but was unable to extend its stay until Friday, when top starting pitchers Jeremy Gigliotti and Andy Noga could have returned to the mound after pitching the Warriors into the playoffs with a must-win sweep at Mansfield on Monday.

Without their aces, the Warriors turned to junior Ryan Beck after using five pitchers in a 6-5 (11 inn.) loss to Mercyhurst on Wednesday. Beck was very strong early in the game, allowing just one hit and getting three of his six strikeouts in the first four innings, before Shippensburg had six hits and scored five runs with two outs in the fifth inning.

The offense gave Beck a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning by putting together three straight hits, all with two outs. Sophomore OF Eric Boyer and sophomore 1B Brian Ernst doubled and freshman OF Chris Knott singled before Shippensburg starter Nick Umberger got out of the inning.

The Warriors had 12 hits and drew four walks off Umberger (7.2 IP, 4 runs, 11 hits, 3 walks) and closer Kody Kibler (1.1 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk), but lost two runners on the base paths, hit into a double play and left runners in scoring position in the first, third, fourth, fifth and eighth innings.

The toughest break came in the sixth, when Knott and freshman DH Matt Bahnick led off with singles and Knott moved to third after a double play. Umberger appeared to balk and after a brief delay, the home plate umpire appeared to signal the infraction, but Knott was thrown out at the plate while trotting home in the midst of the confusion.

Despite leaving five runners on base in the first seven innings, the Warriors battled back again to get within 5-4 in the eighth a day after scoring four runs in the ninth to force extra innings against Mercyhurst. Redshirt junior 3B Jake Griesemer led off with a single and Ernst drew a one-out walk to bring up Knott, who belted his second double of the game to score both runners.

After a groundout and walk by sophomore C Nico Delerme, Kibler relieved Umberger and put junior 2B Ryan Guarino on with a free pass to load the bases. Kibler got out of the jam with a strikeout, then pitched around a two-out single by Boyer to get a groundout to end the game.

Freshman Colin Taylor threw a pair of 1-2-3 innings in the eighth and ninth to keep the Warriors within striking distance in relief of Beck (7.0 IP, 8 hits, 5 runs, 6 strikeouts, 0 walks). He struck out two in his eighth relief appearance of the season and first since April 26 at Shippensburg.

The Warriors got 11 of their 12 hits from the No. 2 through No. 5 spots in the order – Griesemer (3-for-5, run), Boyer (3-for-5, run), Ernst (1-for-4, walk, RBI, two runs) and Knott (4-for-4, three RBI). The four doubles – Boyer, Ernst and two by Knott – gave ESU its most extra-base hits in a game since April 9 at West Chester.

Shippensburg was led offensively by leadoff hitter Eric Herman, who was 2-for-4, and No. 9 hitter A.J. Czap, who was 1-for-3 with the game-tying two-run single in the fifth inning. The Red Raiders advance to play either Bloomsburg or IUP on Friday morning.

ESU will await the announcement of the Atlantic Region field for the NCAA Division II Tournament, which will be made on Sunday night at 10 p.m. as part of an online selection show on www.ncaasports.com.

The Warriors are ranked No. 5 in the Atlantic Region in this week's poll which was released on Wednesday. The current rankings do not include ESU's 1-0 and 7-1 wins at Mansfield on Monday. The field will be comprised of the champions of the PSAC, WVIAC and CIAA, which receive automatic bids, and the next three at-large teams.

Warriors Notes

* Gigliotti, the PSAC East Pitcher of the Year and the Division II leader in ERA (0.45), threw a no-hitter with 10 strikeouts and two walks in his last start on Monday at Mansfield. Noga (6-4, 2.42 ERA) sealed the Warriors' PSAC Tournament bid by earning the win in the nightcap.

* ESU outhit its opponents 18-16 in its two games in the tournament. Knott (4-for-8), Ernst (3-for-9), Boyer (3-for-10), Griesemer (3-for-10) and Delerme (2-for-6) all had multiple hits.
* Boyer went 7-for-17 this week after returning from a month-long absence due to injury.
* Knott had his first career four-hit game to raise his season average to .277 with 21 walks, eight HBP, seven doubles, two triples and two home runs. He was 6-for-14 in four regular season games vs. Shippensburg and 10-for-18 with six RBI including the tournament game.
* Ernst finishes the tournament as the Warriors' leading hitter with a .361 average (53-147) with 11 doubles, a home run and 34 RBI. Boyer is second at .356 (37-104) with nine doubles, a triple, three homers and 28 RBI.

* The Warriors made their fifth appearance in the PSAC Tournament, making trips in 1971, 1985, 2007, 2010 and 2011. They won their last title in 1971 and won championships using the Saylor rating system in 1957, 1963 and 1969.

NCAA Division II Atlantic Region rankings (May 11 - through games played May 8)

1. Millersville (37-8) - In-Region 36-6
2. Mercyhurst (35-10) - 29-8
3. Seton Hill (33-10) - 32-6
4. Slippery Rock (27-17) - 27-15
5. ESU (23-16) - 22-15
6. California (29-16) - 29-15
7. Davis & Elkins (29-15) - 26-14
8. Saint Augustine's (36-18) - 33-15

Automatic bids
PSAC (championship game Saturday) - tournament site
WVIAC (championship game Sunday) - tournament site
CIAA - Winston-Salem State