May 6, 2007

Box Score

FINDLAY, Ohio - Mercyhurst closed its regular season with a doubleheader split at Findlay in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play. After falling in game one 4-3, the Lakers drubbed the Oilers 16-4 in the series finale.

Game One
A three-run Oiler third inning was too much to overcome, as Mercyhurst fell 4-3.

The Lakers scored first, getting an unearned run in the first. Leadoff man Trey Bennett reached on an error to start the game and later score on a John Blike RBI single.

Findlay tied it up in the bottom of the frame with a run scoring single by Brian Sampsel, then took a 4-1 lead with three in the third. George Rohan started the inning with a home run and then scored the other two runs on pair of ground outs.

Mercyhurst tried to come back in the fifth, loading the bases with one out. Joe Luli then singled home Bennett and Jamie Walczak to make it a one run game, 4-3. Patrick Burkin retired the next two batters with runners on first and second to end the threat.

Wes Craig took his first loss of the season to fall to 5-1. He allowed all four runs, only three earned, on six hits and walk. Ryan Schreiber pitched four innings of scoreless relief, scattering three hits and striking out three.

Walczak and catcher Sean Weyant had two hits apiece for Mercyhurst.

Burkin improved to 2-4 for Findlay. He pitched the first five innings, allowing all three Laker runs on seven hits and a walk. Nate Tyahur and Josh Barney eached pitched a perfect inning in relief, with Barney notching his eighth save.

Shane Wilburn and Caleb Meyer both had two hits to lead Findlay.

Game Two
After falling behind 4-0, Mercyhurst scored 16 unanswered runs to earn a split in the doubleheader.

Findlay scored four in the first on an RBI single by Chad Geuy, a bases loaded walk to Matt Wilson and a two-run single by Drew Romigh. The Oilers had four hits in the inning, but would manage just one more the rest of the game.

The Lakers wasted no time, getting three runs back in the top of the second. Bryce Whittington hit John Blike and walked Joe Luli to start the inning. A one-out single by Tim Echan loaded the bases for Adam Gray, who drove in one run with a base hit of his own. Dan Bertolini followed with another RBI single and a two-out bases loaded walk to Jamie Walczak cut it to 4-3.

Mercyhurst took the lead for good with another three-run at-bat in the fourth. Bertolini singled and Trey Bennett double to lead off the inning. David Lough drove home Bertolini with a base knock, and Bennett scored on an error on the play. Sean Weyant added an RBI single to make the score 6-4.

A six-run fifth sealed the game. Walczak was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score the first run of the inning. Lough followed with a two-run single and a 9-4 Mercyhurst lead as Bertolini and Bennett scored on the play. After a double play, Luli and Weyant stroked back-to-back RBI doubles. Adam Gray's RBI single capped the inning.

An RBI double by Blike and a run scoring single by Luli added three more runs in the sixth and Lough singled in a run in the seventh to make it 16-4.

Brian Espersen picked up the win with four innings of scoreless relief of Eric Drobotij. Espersen allowed just one hit and walked three, while striking out seven. He improved to 5-3.

Gray tossed a scoreless seventh.

Lough had a big game two at the plate after going hitless in game one. He went 4-for-6 with four RBIs, doubled and scored once. Luli and Bertolini each went 3-for-5. Weyant and Gray added two hits each.

Findlay used six pitchers in the game, with the Lakers scoring runs against five of the them. Whittington took the loss. He allowed the first six runs in 3.2 innings on nine hits and two walks.

Mercyhurst will enter the GLIAC Championships next week with a record of 31-18, including 17-11 in conference play. Findlay ends its year at 23-25 and 14-16 in the GLIAC.

The Lakers will be seeded fourth when they travel to the conference playoffs on May 10-12 at Gerace Stadium at Northwood. The Lakers will face the top seed, Ashland at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday. Grand Valley State and Saginaw Valley open the GLIAC Championships at noon. The GLIAC Championship game on May 12 will be held at Dow Diamond, also in Midland, Michigan.