GREENSBURG, Pa. – The Mercyhurst University baseball team clinched the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West Division regular season title Friday with 2-1 and 5-2 victories at Seton Hill. The Lakers improved to 32-4 overall and to 22-4 in the PSAC. The Griffins lost for the first times (20-2) at home this season as their records fell to 37-9 and 20-6 respectively.

Seton Hill was betrayed by its defense Friday, particularly in the opener. The Lakers scored unearned runs in the third and seventh innings in the lid-lifter to erase an early 1-0 deficit.

The Griffins scored in the first inning when Pat McCarthy walked, was sacrificed to second, stole third, and scored on a balk by Mercyhurst starting pitcher, Cam Knott. But the junior right-hander settled down and allowed no further damage in 5.2 innings of work.

The Lakers tied the game in the third when junior Brendan Cox doubled with two outs against Griffins' starter Mike Bittel. Two walks, both on full count pitches, loaded the bases and the tying run eventually crossed the plate on an infield error. Bittel escaped further damage when sophomore Cameron Balego lined to center.

Both teams turned to their bullpens in the sixth. Seton Hill junior Jesse Cooper (1-1) survived a lead-off walk to Balego in the top half of the inning. Knott, meanwhile, departed in the bottom half following a two-out pass to power-hitter Nick Sell (25 homeruns, .460 avg.). Junior Ben Nolan (7-0) relieved and Sell was promptly caught stealing. That set the stage for a dramatic Lakers' seventh.

Junior Austin Alonge coaxed Cooper into a four-pitch walk to start the frame. After a strikeout and an infield roller to third, Alonge was at second with two down. But Cooper watched as senior Giancarlo Saia's grounder to second, a grounder that would have ended the inning, was thrown away and Alonge raced home with the go-ahead run.  

The Griffins reached Nolan for a hit-batsman and a single in the home half of the inning but, with two down and runners at first and second, a fly to right ended the opener and handed Seton Hill its first setback at home. Knott worked 5.2 innings, allowed three hits and one earned run, walked three and fanned one. Nolan allowed a single in 1.1 innings, struck out one, and improved to 7-0 .

Bittel worked the first five for the Griffins, gave up three hits and an unearned run. He struggled with control, however, striking out six but allowing seven free passes. Cooper (1-1) didn't surrender a hit in two innings, struck out one and allowed the costly walk to Alonge.

Redshirt senior Jon Klein (7-1) took the mound in the nightcap against Brett Sullivan, unbeaten in six prior decisions. Klein started slowly and gave up a two-out solo homer to Sell in the first, his 26th of the campaign. The Seton Hill lead grew to 2-0 in the third when junior Matt Malacane hit a lead-off homer. The long balls were the first allowed by Klein this season.

Mercyhurst, meanwhile, threatened in the second when it loaded the bases with one out. But Sullivan avoided damage with a strikeout and a line drive to center.

The Lakers finally broke through in the fifth when Alonge's two-out single drove in senior Angel Martinez. Martinez had reached on a fielder's choice before being wild-pitched to second.

Mercyhurst tied the game an inning later. Junior Dan Popio led off with an infield single and was replaced at first by Jimmy Standohar. The freshman was sacrificed to second and scored when junior Hank Morrison's ground ball was mishandled.

The Lakers then scored three times in the seventh. Martinez was hit by a pitch with one out. Alonge followed with his fifth homer of the season, giving the Lakers the lead and tying him with Morrison for the team lead. Cox later singled, stole second, and scored on a two-out base knock by Saia. Junior Jake Hall allowed a harmless infield single in the seventh in recording his seventh save. Sullivan (6-1) allowed eight hits and all five runs – four earned – in 6.2 innings. He walked one and fanned five. Klein gave up four hits in six innings. He struck out eight and walked a pair.

Alonge was the hitting star with three of the Lakers' hits - including a double and a homer – and three runs-batted-in. Saia chipped in with two hits and an RBI

Mercyhurst pitching limited the Griffins to a combined nine hits and three runs - one coming on a balk - in the two games. The Lakers played errorless ball in the field while the Griffins totaled four miscues, two in each game, that cost them three runs.

Of the seven Mercyhurst runs scored Friday, four came in its final at bat in each game.

Mercyhurst entered play ranked 10th nationally and first in the Atlantic Region while the Griffins were rated sixth nationally and third in the region. Seton Hill started the doubleheader tops in the conference in team batting average while Mercyhurst had the PSAC's best team earned-run-average.  

Mercyhurst and Seton Hill will conclude the four-game weekend series in Erie Saturday. The doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. The Lakers will conduct "Senior Day' festivities between games.