April 14, 2008

Game One
Game Two

Hillsdale, Mich. - Senior pitcher John Mang delivered a lights-out performance and the offense exploded for eight runs on 11 hits as the Mercyhurst baseball team closed the four-game Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) series at Hillsdale with an 8-1 win Monday afternoon.

Prior to its series finale victory, Mercyhurst was downed 6-2 in opening game of Monday's doubleheader. Still, the Lakers improve to 16-18 overall and 5-13 in the conference and have evenly split the last eight GLIAC games after a 1-9 start. Hillsdale moved to 9-18 overall and 4-11 in GLIAC play following the doubleheader.

The eight runs scored in game two was a conference high for the season and the most since scoring nine in a non-conference win over Clarion on March 24--a stretch of 15 games. Senior Dan Bertolini went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored, giving him six hits in the four-game series. Classmate Joe Luli went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs.

The Lakers' performance came after scoring a grand total of six runs and being shutout twice in the previous four games combined.

On the mound, Mang (2-5) earned his first win since beating Mount St. Mary's on Feb. 29, snapping a streak of four-straight losing decisions. He went six innings and allowed just one hit and no earned runs.

Hillsdale's only run came in the bottom of the second when the Lakers committed three errors, allowing the inning's first batter to reach third and eventually score on a sacrifice fly.

The Lakers blew the game wide open in the sixth on a two-run single by Bertolini and a two-run home run from sophomore Adam Gray. Senior reliever John Morris entered in the seventh and earned the final three outs for the Lakers.

Also helping the Laker cause was Adam Schlessel, who went 1-for-2 with a run scored and an RBI. Freshman Craig Denman went 2-for-4 with a run scored, as well.

In the first game Monday, senior Eric Drobotij (1-3), who entered the game as the Lakers' leader in ERA, was chased after allowing four runs on three hits and four walks in two innings.

The Lakers fell behind 6-1 after Hillsdale scored five in the third off Drobotij and reliever Ryan Schreiber. But while Schreiber and Kevin Henry followed with three shutout innings, the Lakers, which out-hit Hillsdale 9-6 in the game, scored just one more run on an RBI single from junior Jamie Walczak.

Walczak finished game one with a 3-for-4 effort. Denman went 1-for-3 with a run and two steals, and Greg Turk contributed a pair of singles and a run scored.

Hillsdale's Dan Rhodes (1-3) went the distance to earn his first win of the season.

Mercyhurst hosts a key GLIAC doubleheader Wednesday against Ashland. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.