INDIANA, Pa. – Brooklyn Kotula had a pair of doubles and Sara Hull hit a home run but the Crimson Hawks couldn't overcome early deficits in dropping both ends of a doubleheader to Mercyhurst Sunday afternoon at Podbielski Field. The Lakers won by scores of 6-3 and 4-1. 
 
Those extra base hits by Kotula and Hull represented three of the nine for IUP on the day as the Crimson Hawks fell to 4-15-1 overall on the year.
 
Hits were hard to come by Sunday as both teams combined to hit just .225 on the day.
 
In addition to Kotula's two hits, Renee Wall went 2-5 with an RBI. Five other Crimson Hawks had one hit.
 
Game one
Mercyhurst (4-17) drew three walks and had a pair of hits in the first inning to get on the board first and take a 2-0 lead. IUP responded in the bottom half as Lauren Goetz singled and moved to third with a pair of steals before eventually crossing the plate with an RBI groundout by Kotula.
 
The Lakers came right back with three runs in the second helped by back-to-back doubles. They threatened to tack more on the board but Lauren Zola entered in relief and stranded two runners with an infield popup for the third out.
 
IUP took advantage of a Mercyhurst 2-out error in the third as Goetz came across again to make it a 5-2 ballgame. Each team scored in the sixth and IUP left a pair stranded in the seventh.
 
Game two
The Lakers struck first again with a solo homer off Zola in the second inning and went up 3-0 with a 2-run shot in the fourth.
 
The Crimson Hawks had a great chance to answer early by loading the bases in the second. Kotula led off with a double before Wall reached after getting plunked and Rachel Rodriguez got to first with an infield single. Those three runners were all stranded, however, as a strikeout, fly out and groundout followed.
 
IUP did get on the board in the fourth as Hull smashed a pitch over the left field fence to make it 3-1. The Crimson Hawks left runners stranded in the fifth and sixth while the Lakers added an insurance run in the seventh.
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks hit the road and get away from PSAC teams with a Tuesday doubleheader at Wheeling Jesuit. First pitch is 3:30 p.m. The Cardinals are 6-18 this year with four straight losses entering the week.
 
Follow
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