WEST LAWN, Pa. – It's been nine years since Mercyhurst College last advanced to the NCAA postseason and 14 years since the No. 28 Lakers earned their last NCAA regional playoff victory. 

But the 2009 edition opened with two runs in the top of the first and one in the second while riding the arms of a strong 1-2 pitching combination in starter Nick Gillung and Steve Grife to take a 3-1 victory over Shepherd (33-17). 

The Lakers (36-16) now advance to the second round on Friday at 7 p.m. to play the winner of the Kutztown/West Virginia St. contest. 

Mercyhurst scored both of its runs in the first with two outs when Jamie Walczak was hit by a pitch, then advanced to second after Jeff Stoll drew a walk. PSAC Freshman of the Year Ethan Santora promptly drilled the 1-1 offering into left field to plate Walczak and next batter Trey Bennett took the 2-2 pitch through the left side to score Santora. 

Shepherd countered with a run of its own in the bottom half of the inning with Brian Collins' RBI-single to plate Trey Beard. 

The Lakers got that run back in the top of the second after Jonathan Keppler doubled to leftcenter and advanced to third when the left fielder overthrew his cutoff man. Jonathan Dziomba's sacrifice fly to center added the final run of the game for both teams. 

Shepherd threatened in the later innings with runners on second and third in the sixth inning, but Grife entered in relief of Gillung after a 39-minute rain delay and went on give up just two hits in 3 2/3 innings of work to earn the save. 

Gillung, who improves to 7-0 on the year, now owns the Lakers single-season winning percentage record, besting Joe Williams mark of 6-0 set in 1976. He is now one shy of tying the PSAC best mark of 8-0 set by West Chester's John Eddleman in 1959. 

Milestones:
Jonathan Keppler tied the Lakers' single-season walks record in his final at-bat of the game to lead off the ninth inning, giving him 44 free passes to date.