March 24, 2008

Game One
Game Two

Erie, Pa. - Following a rough weekend series, the Mercyhurst baseball team bounced back in a big way Monday, sweeping a non-conference doubleheader against previously unbeaten Clarion by scores of 9-7 and 4-0.

In the opener, the Lakers used an opportunistic offense to score nine runs on just six hits and then relied on senior reliever John Morris to escape a seventh-inning jam. With the save, Morris notched his team-leading fourth of the season at 17th of his career, tying Nate Goodrich's career record.

The Lakers rode the arm of sophomore John Iborg in the second game, as he went six shutout innings and allowed just three hits to improve to 2-0 on the season.

Mercyhurst entered Monday having dropped three out of four games and had scored just five runs in that stretch. The Lakers put an end to the offensive slump quickly, scoring four runs in the first two innings of game one to build an early advantage.

The lead continued to grow as Clarion committed three errors and starter Paul Baker uncorked four wild pitches, allowing the Lakers to score two in the fourth and three more in the fifth.

Mercyhurst's freshman starter Nick Gillung breezed through four innings, including striking out four of the first five batters he faced. He surrendered just four hits, three walks and a run while striking out eight.

Trailing 9-3 in the top of the seventh, Clarion began to chip away at the lead and when Morris entered the game, the Golden Eagles had plated four runs to cut the deficit to two runs. Morris entered with the tying run at the plate was able to earn the save by striking out one batter and getting the other to fly out to center.

Junior Joseph Furner went 1-for-1 with two walks and scored three runs. Craig Denman tallied two hits and an RBI and Adam Gray, Adam Schlessel and Jonathan Keppler each drove in a run.

With the Laker bats getting back on track in the opener, Iborg took control of the nightcap, retiring the first nine batters he faced. He allowed only five base runners through six innings and struck out three to improve to 2-0 on the year.

The Lakers broke a scoreless tie on an RBI single from Jamie Walczak and an RBI ground out from John Blike. The lead grew to 4-0 in the fifth When Adam Gray singled in Keppler and Walczak.

After walking the first batter in the seventh, Iborg handed the ball to senior James Ludwig, who got out of the inning with a strikeout and a 5-4-3 double play. It was Ludwig's Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) leading 12th appearance of the season.

Keppler finished game two with two runs, two walks and a double. Gray recorded a pair of hits and two RBIs.

With the sweep, the Lakers improved to 12-7 overall and will return to GLIAC play Saturday at the Mercyhurst Baseball Field against Wayne State.