RELEASE DATE: 4/25/09

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Mounties earn PSAC playoff  berth with late-inning comeback in second game of doubleheader with East Stroudsburg – Bair’s walk-off single in bottom of seventh sends Mansfield to Lancaster

Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score

MANSFIELD – You couldn’t have a more fitting ending for Senior Day.

Senior Drew Bair lined a walk-off single to center in the bottom of the seventh to give Mansfield a come-from-behind 16-15 win over East Stroudsburg and the final playoff spot in next week’s PSAC playoffs.

“You never quit until it’s over,” head coach Harry Hillson said. “Even when it looked like we were down too far to ever come back our guys continued to believe. It was a great win in a game that will go down as one of the classics in Mountaineer baseball history.”

Mansfield lost the first game 17-13 in a 3:20 hour slugfest that featured eight home runs, including seven by East Stroudsburg.

Mansfield believed they needed two wins to earn a playoff spot, but a early morning email from the conference office explained that if three teams tie for the final playoff spot, the first tie-beaker is how the teams faired against each other. Mansfield held a 5-3 tie-breaker against the other two teams.

Although Mansfield lost the first game, the Mountaineers got new life when Millersville beat Kutztown 4-3 in the first game of their doubleheader before losing the nightcap 3-0.

It looked as if Mansfield had no chance in the second game after East Stroudsburg  scored five runs in the top of the first inning and held a 10-3 lead after  2 ½ innings. But Mansfield continued to hang tight scoring four runs in the bottom of the third, two of them coming on a double by Bair.

Still trailing 11-7, Mansfield closed the gap to 11-9 with two run in the bottom of the fourth on a monster home run by senior Nate Grove.

East Stroudsburg turned the tide again with four runs in the top of the fifth to extend the lead to 14-9. Mansfield plated two more in the bottom of the inning on an RBI double by Mike Hartz and sac fly from senior Cody Stinger closing the gap to 14-11.

East Stroudsburg extended the lead to 15-11 with an unearned run in the sixth before the magic began for the Mountaineers in the bottom of the inning. Grove led off with his second straight home run to open the inning. Senior Matt Young delivered a two-run single later in the inning and Hartz drove in the tying run with a fielder’s choice.

Although not a senior, Chris Zelko was one of the stars of the game. In an afternoon that featured 61 runs, 69 hits and 13 home runs it was Zelko’s relief pitching that was a difference maker. Zelko, who went 4.1 innings and got the win in the nightcap of a doubleheader at East Stroudsburg yesterday, entered the game with the Mountaineers trailing 12-9 in the fifth inning got out of the jam and went the final 2.2 innings allowing no earned runs and striking out three to pick up the win. Zelko threw 54 pitches over that span, 36 of which were strikes.

East Stroudsburg had two runners on with two outs in the top of the seventh before Zelko ended the threat by getting the final batter to fly out to center field.

Chris Coleman led off the bottom of the seventh with a double down the right field line. Brian Danner pitched run for Danner and Grove was intentionally walked. Bair then drilled a liner to center and Danner slid home with the winning run.

Grove was 3-4 with two home runs and three RBI while Bair went 3-5 with three RBI.

In the opener, Mansfield starter Jordan Garcia struck out the first batter but East Stroudsburg hit four straight solo home runs to take a early 4-0 lead.

Mansfield got a run in the second on an RBI double by Bair but East Stroudsburg answered with five more runs in the third.

East Stroudsburg led 12-3 until Mansfield exploded for 10 runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 13-12 lead. But East Stroudsburg came right back with five more runs, four of them coming off a grand slam by Chris Zsenak to finally put the game out of reach.

Stinger went 2-4 including his seventh home run of the season while Coleman and Grove both went 3-5 for Mansfield.

Mansfield advances to the PSAC playoffs in Lancaster starting on May 6.

Seniors Chris Miller, Stinger, Bair, Irvin Sleighter, Matt Young, Grove, Trevor Tellip, Tony Battisti and Tyler Noel were honored and celebrated in pre-game ceremonies with action posters of themselves.

GAME ONE

East Stroudsburg              405         215         0              17-19-6
Mansfield                            111         0(10) 0   0              13-14-2

East Stroudsburg (32-21, 10-13): Andy Noga, Bill Hezel (5), C.J. Saveri (5) (W, 5-5) and Brendon O’Connor
2b – Kevin Thompson, Ryan Guarino       HR – Edwin Padua (1), Mike Angelo 2 (11), Chris Zsenak 2 (10), John Pisker (1), Kevin Thompson (11)
RBI – Zsenak 5, Angelo 3, Padua 3, Mike Bortz 2, Thompson, Posker

Mansfield (22-29, 9-14): Jordan Garcia, Bernard Johnson (3), Tyler Noel (3), Joe Will (5), Eric Rosenberger (5), Trevor Tellip (6) (L, 2-2), Justin Garcia (6) and Tony Battisti
2b – Cody Stinger, Chris Coleman, Drew Bair       HR – Stinger (7)
RBI – Stinger 2, Mike Hatz 2, Nate Grove 2, Kevin Miller, Chris Coleman, Drew Bair

GAME TWO

East Stroudsburg              514         041         0              15-18-3
Mansfield                            124         224         1              16-18-1

East Stroudsburg (32-22, 10-14): Anthony Clemens, Jason Colletti (4), C.J. Saveri (5) (L, 5-5) and Bryce Muth
2b – Matt Bortz 2, Chris Zsenak 2, John Pisker, Evan Gallagher     HR – Bortz 2 (7), Mark Angelo (12), Kevin Thompson (12)                RBI – Bortz 5, Thompson 3, Angelo 3, Pisker 2

Mansfield (23-29, 10-14): Andy Young, Justin Garcia (1), Shane Ryan (3), Chris Zelko (4) (W, 6-3) and Tony Battisti
2b – Mike Hartz 2, Chris Coleman, Drew Bair        HR – Nate Grove 2 (4)
RBI – Matt Young 3, hartz 3, Grove 3, Bair 3, Kevin Miller 2, Chris Miller, Tony Battisti