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PSAC championship preview

Monday (3:30 p.m.)
ESU vs. Millersville (Live Stats)

BUTLER, Pa. - Redshirt senior Matt Festa threw a complete game, allowing five hits and striking out nine, to lead East Stroudsburg University to a 5-2 win vs. Seton Hill in the opening game of the 2016 PSAC Baseball Tournament on Sunday morning at Kelly Automotive Park.

Festa, the PSAC East Co-Pitcher of the Year, improved to 11-1 in 12 starts this season, going all 9.0 innings and allowing just a run in the third and a solo homer in the ninth.

Sophomore catcher Steven Zimmerman, Jr. was 3-for-4 with a triple and scored two runs to lead an 11-hit attack at the plate against Seton Hill (36-15) sophomore ace Perry DellaValle, who lost for the first time this season after entering at 8-0 with a 1.44 ERA in 68.2 innings over 14 games (10 starts).

ESU (36-14) extends its school record for wins and advances to play Millersville (45-4), the PSAC East No. 1 seed, on Monday at 3:30 p.m. The Marauders advanced to the winners bracket with a 22-4 win vs. California (26-21) in Sunday's second game.

The Warriors supported Festa with a go-ahead run in the second, a three-run fifth for the decisive inning, and an insurance run in the ninth.

ESU had four baserunners in the second inning, scratching out a run on a two-out RBI single by redshirt junior 2B Jay Young. Redshirt senior 1B Matt Walewski had a leadoff single, sophomore DH Christian Rishel was hit by a pitch, and Zimmerman had a single around a flyout by redshirt junior OF Casey Saverio - with Walewski called out on a tag play at second.

Seton Hill made it 1-1 in the third as Garrett Vrbanic was hit by a pitch and leadoff hitter Matt Malacane followed with a one-out double.

After a pair of 1-2-3 innings, the Warriors scored three runs in the top of the fifth to take a 4-1 lead. Zimmerman hit a leadoff  triple to right-center, followed by an RBI single by Young, a single and stolen base by redshirt junior OF Robert Bennie and a two-RBI double by junior OF Ian Allen down the rightfield line.

ESU had baserunners in the sixth and eighth innings on a pair of singles by Rishel before pushing its lead to 5-1 in the ninth. Zimmerman had a leadoff infield single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Young (just ESU's third this year) and scored after a pair of wild pitches.

Seton Hill touched Festa for one run in the ninth on a one-out solo homer by Colton Carney.

Facing a lineup that featured five All-PSAC West selections, Festa scattered five hits across five different innings as the Griffins left six runners on base (including five on second base). Seton Hill was just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Festa threw 1-2-3 innings in the second, sixth and seventh frames. The Griffins threatened in the eighth, putting two on with nobody out, but Festa got an infield popup and two strikeouts to get out of the inning.

Festa pushes his season strikeout total to 95 (in 80.0 innings) and his career total to 205, third-best in school history.

He tied a school record with his eighth complete game of the season (all in his last eight starts) and has a 2.14 ERA, 95 strikeouts, 21 walks, 60 hits allowed and a .203 opponents average across his 80.0 innings.

Four Warriors had multiple hits in Zimmerman, Allen (2-for-5, 2 RBI), Rishel (2-for-3, run) and Young (2-for-3, 2 RBI, run). Zimmerman and Young combined to go 5-for-7 with two RBI and three runs in the No. 8 and No. 9 spots in the order.


GAME NOTES

* Festa entered the PSAC Tournament ranked 1st in the PSAC in wins (10) and complete games (7), 2nd in strikeouts (86), 3rd in innings (71.0), 4th in opponents average (.210) and 5th in ERA (2.15).

* ESU season strikeouts
100 - Joel Bennett (78.1 IP) in 1991
95 - Matt Festa (80.0 IP) in 2016
88 - Brian Ernst (66.2 IP) in 2013

* ESU career strikeouts
238 - Jeremy Gigliotti (2007-11)
215 - Joel Bennett (1989-91)
205 - Matt Festa (2014-16)
201 - Brian Ernst (2010-13)
200 - Mike Zimorowicz (1999-02)

* ESU season complete games - 8 each by:
Matt Festa (2016)
Bob Stevens (1987)
Mark Cannon (1984)
Mark Cannon (1982)
Gary Fetter (1981)
Ed Kuss (1979)

* Allen set ESU's single-season record for stolen bases (34), surpassing the mark of 33 set by Zac Menendez in 2012.

* Allen is one stolen base from tying ESU's career record (66), held by Jacob DeBoer (2004-07)

* ESU head coach John Kochmansky (259-178-1) is one win from tying ESU's career record for coaching wins.
260-312-6 - Roger Barren (1994-06)
259-178-1 - John Kochmansky (2008-  )
238-332-6 - Glenn Hayes (1978-93)


* The top four teams in last week's NCAA DII Atlantic Region rankings won on Sunday:
ESU d. Seton Hill, 5-2
Millersville d. California, 22-4
West Chester d. Gannon, 5-2
Mercyhurst d. Shippensburg, 8-3

Current NCAA DII Atlantic Region rankings (May 4, 2016)
1. Millersville (43-4 DII, 42-4 in-region)
2. West Chester (32-11, 31-11)
3. Mercyhurst (37-10, 34-9)
4. ESU (35-14, 35-14)
5. Shepherd (30-12, 29-11)
6. Seton Hill (34-14, 30-12)
7. WV State (26-12, 25-11)
8. Gannon (28-15, 24-13)
9. Winston-Salem (27-19, 27-19)