Boxscore

IUP fell one win shy of its first PSAC title since 1990 with a 12-3 loss to Mercyhurst in the championship game Saturday at Point Stadium in Johnstown.

The Crimson Hawks finished 22-28 including three wins in the conference tournament, their most since winning their most recent championship 22 years ago. Mercyhurst, which was already guaranteed a spot in the NCAA tournament, is 39-10 and went 4-0 in the tournament.

Frank Sirolli (Cinnaminson, N.J./Cinnaminson) had three hits for IUP to finish with a team-leading .367 average on the year. The senior centerfielder also paced the Crimson Hawks with 45 runs scored, 36 RBIs, 13 doubles, five triples and two home runs while tying Robbie Zinsmeister (Hatfield/North Penn) with 58 hits.

The Lakers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning against IUP starter Chris Douglas (Canonsburg/Canon-McMillan) and never looked back. Douglas escaped further damage that inning by getting Shane Latshaw to ground into a double play with the bases loaded and retired Mercyhurst in order the next two frames.

But the Lakers reached Douglas for back-to-back doubles by Bill Gertslanger and Craig Denman to start the fourth, and Ben Weimer (New Alexandria/Linsly School) replaced him on the mound. Mercyhurst proceeded to score four times in the inning to build a 6-0 lead and tacked on three more in the fifth to make it a nine-run lead.

IUP got on the board with two in the sixth on a double by Cory Sawka (Uniontown/Uniontown), a two-out RBI single by Sirolli and an error. The Crimson Hawks scored their other run in the eighth when Sirolli doubled for his third hit of the game and scored on a two-base hit by Mike Lupia (Middletown/Middletown).