INDIANA, Pa. - The sixth-ranked Mercyhurst University baseball team found itself in uncharted territory on Saturday afternoon, splitting a pair of high-scoring, extra-inning contests at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The Crimson Hawks took game one, 8-7, in nine innings before the Lakers rebounded for a 12-9 victory, in eight innings, in game two. Mercyhurst moved to 30-4 overall and 20-4 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division standings. IUP moved to 17-18-1 overall and 11-12-1 in conference play.

One day after the teams combined for eight runs and sixteen hits total in a split at Mercyhurst, the teams combined for fifteen runs and twenty hits in the opening game on Saturday. The Lakers, who had just seven hits in the two games on Friday, outhit IUP 11-9 in the first game but could not hang on after jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

Against IUP starter, Matt Douglas, Mercyhurst's first five batters reached base with all five scoring before the Crimson Hawks could even record an out. Sophomore Cameron Balego drew a leadoff walk and then advanced to second when junior Austin Alonge also drew a free pass. Senior Angel Martinez, attempting to bunt the runners over, instead reached on a bunt single to load the bases. Senior Giancarlo Saia drove home the first run with an RBI single through the right side. Then, junior Hank Morrison cleared the bases with his first career grand slam home run, giving the Lakers a 5-0 lead. It was Morrison's team-leading fifth round tripper of the season.

Douglas retired the next three batters in order, but the damage had been done.

The hosts countered with a run in the bottom of the first inning against junior Matthew Jaskolka. With two outs, the Laker righthander served up a solo home run to Ryan Uhl - his 20th home run of the season.

Mercyhurst scored two more in the second to take a 7-1 lead. Alonge drove in the first run with an RBI single, plating freshman Collin Fantaskey who led off with an infield single. Alonge scored with Martinez reached on an error.

That, however, would be the final run the Lakers would score in game one as the IUP bullpen slammed the door and allowed the Crimson Hawk offense to chip away.

In the bottom of the third, IUP pulled to within 7-4 with three runs in the frame, two of which were unearned. Mike Lupia, Uhl, and Zac LaNeve had the RBIs in the third.

IUP used the long ball in the bottom of the fifth to knot the game at 7-7. Uhl hit his second home run of the game, 21st of the season, to pull IUP within one at 7-6. Two batters later, Jonathan O'Neill hit a solo shot to tie the contest. Junior Jake Hall relieved Jaskolka and was brilliant in his three and one-third innings of work.

Both teams had a chance in the seventh. Mercyhurst left a pair of runners on base when pinch hitter Dan Popio fouled out. The Crimson Hawks left a runner stranded at third when Hall struck out Chris Calliari.

Hall was relieved in the bottom of the ninth by junior Mike Schnurr and IUP came up with the winning run. Schnurr got Uhl to fly out for the first out of the inning but then walked LaNeve and intentionally walked O'Neill after LaNeve advanced to second on a wild pitch. Rick Jones then reached on an error by Balego at short to load the bases with one out. With the infield drawn in, pinch hitter Jordan Giannini slapped one past Alonge at third base for the walkoff hit.

Schnurr suffered his first loss as a Laker as he fell to 2-1 on the season. Hall allowed a hit and two walks in his 3.1 innings of relief. He struck out two. Jaskolka had his roughest outing of the season after lasting just 4.2 innings. He allowed seven runs (five earned) on seven hits while walking one and striking out five.

LaNeve and Hunter Bigler combined for seven scoreless innings of relief for IUP with Bigler getting the win. He improved to 3-1.

Alonge, Martinez, and senior Jake Marinelli each had two hits for the Lakers. Uhl went 3-for-4 with two home runs, three runs scored, and four runs batted in.

Game two featured much of the same as neither starter pitched more than three innings.

The Lakers, who had a whopping 18 hits in the nightcap, started things off with four runs on five hits against IUP starter Kyle Zaorski in the top of the first inning. Saia had a two-run double, followed by run-scoring singles by Morrison and junior Brendan Cox as Mercyhurst got off to a great start again.

Mercyhurst head coach Joe Spano was forced to shuffle the rotation when redshirt sophomore Colin McKee came down with an illness before Friday's doubleheader. Redshirt senior Jon Corbi was pressed into services in game two and was touched up for three runs on four hits in the bottom of the first inning. Uhl started things off with an RBI double while O'Neill had a two-run single.

Back came the Lakers with a run in the top of the second to take a 5-3 lead. Fantaskey singled to lead off the inning and then scored on an RBI double from Balego. IUP answered with a run in the bottom half when Austin Mock took Corbi deep with two outs and nobody on.

Freshman Daniel Elliott gave the Lakers an 8-4 lead with a three-run bomb in the top of the third inning, ending the afternoon for Zaorski. In just 43 at bats this season, the Laker rookie has three home runs and 15 runs batted in.

IUP got a run back in the bottom of the third on a run-scoring single by Bigler.

Then, in the bottom of the fourth, Corbi pitched to three batters and did not record an out, leaving with the bases loaded. Schnurr came on and gave up a two-run single to Wes Carson, cutting the Laker lead to 8-7. Uhl then scored on a double play ball to tie the game at 8-8.

The Crimson Hawks took their first lead in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI ground-rule double by Lupia.

After a scoreless sixth, Mercyhurst was down to its final at bat. Morrison, who belted a grand slam home run in game one, launched the tying home run with one out in the top of the seventh against IUP reliever Justin Charles.

Junior Ben Nolan, who gave up the go-ahead run in the bottom of the fifth, loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh on three walks (two intentional), but retired Carson on an infield groundout to send the game to extra innings.

Mercyhurst made IUP pay for not winning in the seventh with three unearned runs. With two outs and Fantaskey at third, Martinez reached on an error by IUP shortstop Rick Jones to give the Lakers a 10-9 lead and to keep the inning alive. Saia followed with an RBI double and Morrison had an RBI single to extend the lead to 12-9.

Nolan retired the side in order in the bottom of the eighth to improve to 6-0 on the season. He allowed one run on two hits in four innings of relief. He walked four (three intentional) and struck out two. Charles fell to 0-2 after allowed four runs (one earned) in five innings of relief for IUP.

Morrison went 4-for-5 with the game-tying home run. He scored three runs and drove in three. Saia and Fantaskey each had three hits for the Lakers. Mock had three hits and scored three runs to lead IUP.

Mercyhurst will step out of conference play for the final time during the regular season on Tuesday, April 21, when it hosts Walsh University. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.