Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

INDIANA, PA - The Crimson Hawks had an incredibly impressive 10 runs on 10 hits in the very first inning of the opening game, leading to an 18-0 route of 24th-ranked Mercyhurst, before falling 11-4 in game two as IUP split its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division baseball doubleheader with the Lakers on Friday afternoon at Dougherty Field.

The 18 runs were the most by IUP against a divisional opponent since blasting rival Cal 23-6 back on April 13, 2009. It also tied the second highest scoring output of the season for the Crimson Hawks, who scored 20 on 17 hits against Lenoir-Rhyne on March 14 and went for 18 on 18 hits against Young Harris on March 10. IUP scored its 18 runs in the opener today on 17 base knocks, including seven that went for extra bases.

Not to be lost in the victory was the performance of starter Stephen Cooke (Severn, MD/Archbishop Curley), who held the Lakers to just four hits and seven total baserunners in the shutout. Mercyhurst entered the game with the second best team batting average (.326) and the second most runs (163) in the PSAC. However, the Lakers run total was still 31 behind first place IUP, which had scored 194 in 26 games entering Friday.

Cooke struck out nine batters in his complete game to improve to 4-0 on the year, walked three and allowed his four hits in the first, third, fifth and seventh innings.

The Crimson Hawks (14-13-1, 2-4) loaded the bases with the three batters in the first inning, allowing Dylan Songer (Baden/North Allegheny) to get the first RBI on a single to left, scoring Robbie Zinsmeister (Hatfield/North Penn). Two batters and one out later, Austin Mock (State College/State College) singled through the right side to score two before a balk on the next batter scored Songer to make it 4-0.

After a Dylan Tice (Perkasie/Pennridge) single, Brett Quiggle (Weedville/St. Marys) knocked in a run with a single to left before Cory Sawka (Uniontown/Uniontown) tripled over the right fielders head to score two more. Zinsmeister then cleared the rest of the bases with another RBI single as IUP took an 8-0 lead. Aaron Lupia (Middletown/Middletown) and Ryan Uhl (St. Marys/St. Marys) had the other two RBI hits, with Uhl's being a double as the Crimson Hawks put together the big statement with a 10-run opening inning.

IUP brought around two more in each of the next three innings, getting an RBI triple from Quiggle, a sacrifice fly from Zinsmeister, a two-run homer and RBI double by Uhl and a run-scoring single by Lupia as the Crimson Hawks built a 16-0 lead after four.

The Crimson Hawks would score their other two runs in the fifth and sixth innings, as Tice crossed the plate on a wild pitch and Mike Lupia (Middletown/Middletown) slammed another IUP homer to make it a clean 18 runs to finish up the game.

Nine different Crimson Hawks tallied a hit in game one, including Uhl who finished 3-for-5 with a homer, two doubles and four RBI. Zinsmeister and Songer also each tallied three hits, combining to go 6-for-8 with a double, triple and three RBI. The Crimson Hawks first five batters went 10-for-18, got on base 15 times and scored 10 runs.

The Lakers (19-8, 3-3) bats improved in game two, out-hitting IUP 15-4 and scoring runs in five of the seven innings.

Mercyhurst got a pair in the first inning on two RBI singles before IUP countered with a Troy Foster (Shamong, NJ/Seneca) run-scoring single to center and a Songer sac fly to right in the bottom half of the first of the day's second game.

IUP took the lead in the second when John Beatty (New Castle/Mohawk) crossed the plate on a wild pitch to make it 3-2 before a Lakers two-run triple in the third gave them a 4-3 advantage. Mercyhurst put two more on the board in the fourth with an RBI groundout and single to make it 6-3 and got three runs on just one hit in the fifth to take a 9-3 lead.

The Crimson Hawks got their one other run in the sixth with Uhl's second homer of the day, however that followed a two-run shot by the Lakers in the top half as Merychurst's Ben Rawding got the complete game win for the Lakers. Rawding struck out nine in seven innings of work, giving up four earned runs on four hits with three walks.

Sawka, Uhl, Zinsmeister and Foster had the four hits for IUP as four pitchers combined to throw the seven innings, including starter Greg Stewart (Kittanning/Elderton), who dropped to 2-1 on the year.

The Crimson Hawks are back in action on Saturday as they travel to Erie to complete the four-game set with the Lakers. First pitch is set for 12:00 p.m.