SHIPPENSBURG – Evan McAndrew and Hunter DePrimo combined to strikeout 18 Raiders, but the Mansfield University baseball team was unable to take down Shippensburg in their doubleheader on Saturday at Fairchild Field.
 
Shippensburg and Mansfield combined to strike out 38 times over the course of the two games.
 
The senior righty McAndrew opened the series with a five-inning outing, striking out seven and allowing just three hits. Typically strong with command, McAndrew was in rare form and walked seven Raiders.
 
Mansfield was stifled by Shippensburg's Zack Sims and Michael Hope, each of whom threw complete game shutouts.
 
Heading into the fourth inning of the first game against Sims hitless, Eric Senior stroked a single to left field for Mansfield's first hit of the day.  The Raiders continued to dominate from the mound and pulled to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning; they didn't allow another hit until Senior singled again in the seventh inning. Dom Lopez followed suit with a back-to-back single to put runners on first and second with only one out. Although MU was threatening in the top of the 7^th, it was too-little too-late. They were unable to plate any runs and the final remained 3-0.
 
Senior finished a team-best 2-for-3 at the plate.  In addition to his seventh inning single, Lopez also walked and finished 1-for-2 in the first game. McAndrew's final line of work extended over five innings of play and totaled seven strikeouts. Jake Manke provided a scoreless inning from the mound in relief.  
 
Zack Zoller led Shippensburg with two hits, a run scored and one driven in. Four other Raiders recorded hits. On the mound, Zack Sims (W, 6-4) allowed just two walks and struck out 10 batters while going the distance.
 
GAME 2
Mansfield didn't wait around for their first hit in the second game, as they struck for two knocks in the first inning. Brittain Shander and Eric Senior both singled, but it was to no avail and Shippensburg was able to work out of the early jam.
 
The Raiders struck first on a wild pitch in the bottom of the first inning, but Hunter DePrimo was able to hold Shippensburg off for the next three frames.
 
Over the course of the bottom of the second and the bottom of the third, seven straight batters from both sides were retired by way of strikeout.
 
Adding to their tally on the day, Hunter DePrimo struck another 11 batters out for Mansfield.
 
Camren Ney, Koty Fitzgerald, Brady Mengel, and Brittain Shander each went 1-for-3, while Senior was 1-for-2 with a walk.
 
DePrimo's starting counterpart for Shippensburg, Michael Hope, went all seven innings. He recorded 10 strikeouts. Zoller, Scout Knotts, and Ty Painter each had doubles for the Raiders.
 
Mansfield and Shippensburg will square-off again tomorrow at Fairchild Field. Due to expected weather in the region, it was decided that all four games would be played in Shippensburg. Live coverage links will be available at GoMounties.com