ERIE, Pa. – The IUP baseball team was swept by sixth-ranked Mercyhurst on Saturday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play losing 25-3 and 11-0 at Phillip D. Hirtzel Field.
With the losses, the Crimson Hawks fall to 3-13 overall and 0-4 in PSAC play. Meanwhile, the Lakers improve to 12-1 behind a 4-0 mark in league play.
In game one, Mercyhurst jumped out to a 7-0 lead after the first inning and never looked back. Designated hitter Dan Popio hit a grand slam home run to push the lead to 7-0. The Lakers then pushed the lead to 16-0 with a nine run second inning highlighted by a three-run home run by shortstop Cameron Balego. IUP got on the board in the bottom half of the second with as
Matt Eperesi (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Mars) scored on a throwing error. After Mercyhurst added runs in the sixth and seventh, IUP added a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh on a
Joshua Beale (Freeport, Pa./Freeport Area) double and a throwing error.
Starting pitcher
Mike Klingensmith (Punxsutawney, Pa./Punxsutawney) took the loss while Mercyhurst starter Vincenzo Lucente earned the win after tossing 4.2 innings.
The Lakers started the scoring off first in game two as Drew Delsignore doubled in a run in the top of the first before they added two runs in the top of the second to take a 3-0 lead. A Daniel Elliott two-run home run in the third pushed the lead to 5-0. In the bottom half of the inning the Crimson Hawks put runners on first and second with walks from
Ryan LaCoe (Hershey, Pa./Hershey) and
Dan Sepic (York, Pa./Central York). The pair then each moved up a base on a wild pitch before a groundout ended the threat. IUP once again had runners on second and third in the bottom of the fourth but was unable to capitalize.
Crimson Hawks starting pitcher
Brian Albert (Pittsburgh, Pa./Plum) took the loss while Lakers starter Nolan Freeman earned the win.
Up Next
The Crimson Hawks finish play at the Towson Spring Invitational beginning tomorrow at 8 a.m.
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP baseball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPbaseball.
