JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A three-run home run by
Jimmy Latona in the bottom of the second inning set the tone in Mercyhurst baseball's 14-0 win over East Stroudsburg in the first round of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships at Point Stadium on Wednesday, May 10.
The win advances the Lakers (35-4) to the second round of the PSAC Tournament where they will play Shippensburg at 3:30 p.m.
The Lakers lineup provided run support for starting pitcher
Chris Vallimont all game long. They scored runs in six innings, including two four-run innings in the second and third. In addition, nine different Lakers registered at least one hit.
The Lakers scored once in the top of the first inning on a
Cameron Balego sacrifice fly. In the second,
Daniel Elliott extended the lead to two with a double down the right field line to score
Dan Popio from first. Later in the inning with two outs, Latona launched his homer over Point Stadium's tall left field fence to make the score 5-0.
The Lakers tacked on four more runs in the bottom of the third inning.
Sabatino DiNardo III had a two-RBI single in the frame.
Mercyhurst showed off its power at the plate with two more towering home runs. The first came on a solo shot from
Chris Gonzalez in the fourth inning. The second came from Elliott in the sixth inning. The homer gave Elliott four runs batted in for the game. He finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored.
Vallimont allowed only seven base runners in 7 1/3 innings, with just one reaching second base. He walked five and allowed two hits while striking out three. Vallimont's record improved to 7-1 with the win.
Nolan Freeman and
Nick Kiener finished the final 1 2/3 innings in scoreless relief.
Latona ended the day 2-for-4 with 3 RBI.
Cameron Balego drew three walks and scored twice.
Shippensburg (29-10-1) defeated Slippery Rock 9-2 in its first game of the tournament. The Raiders qualified for the tournament as the second-seed in the PSAC East Division. Shippensburg is ranked fifth in NCAA Atlantic Region rankings.
