Box Score  l  Wednesday recap: Mercyhurst (W 18-11)  l  ESU Preview

Thursday results
9:30am - West Chester d. Mercyhurst, 14-2 (Hurst eliminated)
12:30pm - California d. Shippensburg, 9-3 (Ship eliminated)
3:30pm - ESU d. Slippery Rock, 13-4
6:30pm - Millersville d. Seton Hill, 8-4

Friday
9:30 a.m. - Mercyhurst vs. Slippery Rock
12:30 p.m. - California vs. Seton Hill
3:30 p.m. - Millersville vs. Mercyhurst/Slippery Rock winner
6:30 p.m. - ESU vs. California/Seton Hill winner

BUTLER, Pa. - Sophomore Tyler Eckman threw a complete game in his second career start and was backed by an 18-hit attack, including home runs by redshirt sophomore SS Conner Crookham, junior 1B Dylan Tamecki and sophomore OF Ian Allen, as East Stroudsburg University won its second straight game in the PSAC Baseball Tournament with a 13-4 victory over Slippery Rock on Thursday at Kelly Automotive Park.

Eckman, the relief pitcher on the All-PSAC East first team after leading the PSAC with an ESU record nine saves, scattered 15 hits and stranded 10 Slippery Rock runners. He left Rock runners in scoring position in six different innings to help the Warriors advance.

ESU's next game is Friday at 6:30 p.m. against the winner of an elimination game on Friday morning.

The Warriors won their sixth straight PSAC Tournament game, going 4-0 to win the 2013 PSAC title in Johnstown before missing last year's tournament on a three-team tiebreaker.

ESU (30-17) won its opening game on Wednesday, 18-11 vs. Mercyhurst, a game the Warriors led 18-4 through seven innings. ESU has scored 31 runs on 39 hits in its first two games in Butler, after scoring 28 runs in four games in Johnstown in 2013.

The Warriors secured their third 30-win season in program history. The 2013 team set the standard with 34 wins.

Crookham (2-for-4, HR, RBI, 3 runs), Tamecki (4-for-5, HR, 2 RBI, 4 runs) and Allen (4-for-5, 3B, HR, 4 RBI, 3 runs) combined to go 10-for-14 with three home runs, seven RBI and 10 runs in the middle (3-4-5 spots) of the Warriors' lineup.

Eckman - pressed into starting duty due to injuries on ESU's staff - had thrown 25.0 innings in 17 appearances entering last weekend, when he threw the first 5.0 innings of a 5-3 win over Bloomsburg that put the Warriors in the tournament. His first 24 career appearances, all out of the bullpen, totaled 31.2 innings.

Redshirt junior OF Matt Walewski had a pair of RBI in the first four innings after a four-hit game on Wednesday vs. Mercyhurst. Walewski was 6-for-6 with a walk, three doubles and six RBI in his first seven plate appearances in Butler before he was retired in his final three at bats vs. Slippery Rock.

ESU never trailed as Walewski put ESU ahead 1-0 with a two-out RBI double to plate Allen in the second inning.

The Warriors scored four runs in the top of the fourth, starting with a leadoff homer by Crookham (his second of the tournament). The other three runs all came on two-out hits by Walewski, freshman OF Christian Rishel and freshman catcher Steven Zimmerman, Jr. at the bottom of the order.

SRU got to Eckman for three runs in the bottom of the fourth, but the Warriors got two back in the fifth on a two-run homer by Tamecki.

Slippery Rock made it 7-4 with back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the fifth before Eckman got out of a jam.

ESU's sophomore right-hander stranded runners in scoring position in the first, third, fifth, sixth, seventh and ninth innings. He left runners on first and third in the sixth, stranded a two-out double in the seventh and a leadoff single in the eighth down the stretch.

The Warriors' bats scored six runs in the final two innings to pad the lead. ESU made it 10-4 with three runs on five hits in the eighth, including an RBI triple by Allen, an RBI single by redshirt junior 3B Drew Hercik and an RBI single by leadoff hitter redshirt sophomore 2B Jay Young.

Allen clubbed a three-run homer for insurance runs in the ninth - his second HR of the weekend.

ESU got to Rock starter Kyle Schneider for seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits in 5.0 innings. Alex Pantuso 2.0 scoreless frames before the Warriors added to their lead in the eighth.

Walewski was 2-for-5 with two RBI in the No. 7 spot and Rishel was 3-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI and a run in the No. 8 spot for the Warriors.

ESU is hitting .429 (39-for-91) with seven doubles, one triple and five home runs in its first two games in Butler.

Five regulars are hitting .500 or better in Walewski (6-for-9, 3 doubles, 6 RBI, 4 runs), Tamecki (6-for-9, HR, 4 RBI, 6 runs), Allen (5-for-9, 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 4 runs), Crookham (5-for-10, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 7 runs) and Zimmerman (4-for-8, 2 RBI, run).

Rishel (4-for-11, 3 doubles, 3 RBI, 2 runs) and Hercik (4-for-11, 2B, 3 RBI, 3 runs) are both batting .364.

Redshirt junior Matt Festa threw 7.0 innings, allowing four runs on 11 hits, in ESU's 18-11 win vs. Mercyhurst on Wednesday.

The Warriors will face the winner of Friday morning's game between California and the loser of tonight's winners bracket contest between Millersville and Seton Hill.

GAME NOTES
* ESU is in the PSAC Tournament for the 7th time, and 4th time in the last 6 years.
* ESU opened 2-0 for the 3rd time. The Warriors went 4-0 to win the 2013 PSAC title, and 2-0 to win the 1971 title.
* ESU won its opening round game for the 4th time. The Warriors won their 1985 opener and finished as runner-up.

* ESU is the first PSAC team to score 10+ runs in victories in its first 2 games in the PSAC Tournament since at least 2003.