Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

WASHINGTON, Pa. - The Mercyhurst University baseball team saw its nine-game winning streak come to an end on Friday, but managed to earn a split with the Vulcans of California at CONSOL Energy Park in Washington, Pa. The Vulcans defeated Mercyhurst 13-4 in the opener, before the Lakers bounced back with a 3-1 victory in game two. Mercyhurst is now 14-8 overall and 1-1 in the PSAC. The Vulcans are 14-4 with an identical 1-1 conference mark.

In game one, California battered sophomore righthander Dan Altavilla, who allowed 11 runs, ten earned, on 11 hits in just four innings. He walked two and struck out two.

Jake Hall and Donald Bowes pitched the fifth and sixth innings in relief. 

The Vulcans jumped on Altavilla with an eight-run first inning and never looked back.

Mercyhurst would get single runs in the top of the second and third innings, cutting the Cal lead to 8-2. In the second, freshman Hank Morrison got the Lakers on the board with an RBI single. Joe Pantano followed in the third with a sacrifice fly.

However, the Vulcans would tack on three more runs in the fourth, ending Altavilla's afternoon.

Mercyhurst would get two runs back in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Steve McCaw and an RBI single from Kyle Hagerich.

California would end the scoring with a pair of runs in its half of the sixth off of Bowes.

Mercyhurst was outhit 13-to-8 in the contest, with eight different Lakers getting a hit in the contest.

In game two, the Lakers turned to their ace, senior Ben Rawding, to earn the split.

Rawding improved to 6-0 on the season and extended his PSAC record to 18 straight decisions with a victory. The southpaw went the distance, allowing one run on five hits. He issued one free pass and struck out eight.

Morrison came through with an RBI double in the top of the second inning to put the Lakers ahead 1-0. It was Mercyhurst's first lead of the afternoon.

The Lakers would add two more runs in the top of the fourth on RBI singles by Morrison and Stephen Scaccia.

California would break up Rawding's shutout bid in its half of the fourth. The Vulcans left two runners on in the fifth, but Rawding retired the side in order in both the sixth and seventh innings to close out the victory.

Mercyhurst outhit California 11-to-5 in game two. Morrison, Pantano, Joel Yeagley, and Jake Marinelli each had two hits to lead the Lakers.

The doubleheader, scheduled for Saturday at the Mercyhurst Baseball Field, has been postponed to Sunday afternoon from Mercyhurst's campus. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.