March 30, 2008

Game One
Game Two

Erie, Pa. - With Wayne State taking both games Sunday at the Mercyhurst Baseball Field, the the Mercyhurst baseball team was swept in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) four-game series for the first time since 2006. Wayne State won game one 3-2 and game two 5-2.

After managing just four hits through two games Saturday, the Laker bats woke up and pounded out 11 hits in the opener and seven in the nightcap, but failed to put together any substantial rallies until the seventh inning of both games. Mercyhurst outhit Wayne State in both games, but were limited to two runs or less for the eighth time in eight GLIAC games.

The Lakers are now 12-11 overall but with the 1-7 GLIAC mark, they are off to their slowest conference start since joining in 1996.

Mercyhurst fell behind 3-0 after six innings in game one, and finally got on the board in the bottom of the inning on a John Blike sacrifice fly. Trailing 3-1 in the seventh, the Lakers rallied with four hits and cut the lead to one when Jonathan Keppler plated pinch runner Nick Gillung with a single up the middle. The Lakers filled the bases, but Wayne State reliever Josh Lewis managed to escape the inning with his first save of the year.

Laker starter Wes Craig (2-2) suffered the loss despite turning in a winning performance. He allowed just two earned runs and struck out seven while walking one through six innings. Justin Mazur improved to 3-0 for the Warriors after working 6.1 innings and allowing two runs on nine hits.

Keppler, Dan Bertolini and Joseph Furner each totaled two hits for the Lakers.

Wayne State jumped out to an early advantage in game two, as well, scoring an unearned run in the third off red-shirt sophomore starter Steve Grife. Warrior Derek Ranck homered in the fourth and Caleb Dalman drove in a run with a single to extend the lead to 3-0. Wayne State added two more in the seventh off Laker reliever John Morris, who prior to the game had not allowed a run in seven outings.

Warrior starter John Kessick (2-1) kept the Lakers off the board until the bottom of the seventh when Joe Luli drove in his first run since Feb. 24. His single plated Adam Gray who led off the frame with a triple to right field. Craig Denman beat out an infield hit and Greg Turk scored to cap the Lakers' scoring.

Grive (2-3) surrendered three runs, two earned, on five hits through six innings. Morris worked only one-third of an inning before Bertolini moved from shortstop and picked up the last two outs.

Seven different Lakers recorded at least one hit.

Mercyhurst travels to Clarion Tuesday for a non-conference doubleheader. The Lakers swept two from Clarion on March 24 and are 11-4 in non-conference games this year.