Cary, NC-- The Mercyhurst baseball team rallied back from a four-run deficit and two weather delays, with a late homerun in the ninth inning, to win 6-5 over UC San Diego in the NCAA Division II College World Series on Wednesday. The Lakers Will advance to the semi-finals for the first time in school history. 
 
Alex O'Donnell, Matthew Schneider and Ben Monti all led the Lakers with three hits. O'Donnell and Schneider also both led with 2 RBI each.
With great bullpen work from McRandal, Jeannette would come in and close the door, picking up the win for the green and blue. 
 
How it Happened:
 
In the second inning, UC San Diego loaded the bases and struck first off a Brigman single through the left side scoring two Tritons, taking an early 2-0 lead.  After a tough start for Christian Young, Kapturasky would come in to relieve him and record the final out of the 2nd. 
 
Mercyhurst would have trouble answering the UCSD runs and would go three up three down in the top of the third.  The Tritons would manage to get some more insurance in the second with Eliopulos triple to start the inning and would score on a fielding error to give UCSD a three-run lead.  The Lakers were able to finally get the bats going in the fourth as Jack Elliott would record the Lakers first hit of the ball game. 
 
Alex O'Donnell and Matthew Schneider hopped on the hit train as Schneider would single to center scoring Elliott to make it a 3-1 ball game. Tritons own Eliopulos would cause some two out lightning as he recorded his second hit of the game doubling to right. Baumgartner would continue the two out rally with a bomb over the left field fence for a two-run homer as UCSD hopped out to a 5-1 lead. Nicholas McRandal would come in for Kapturasky in the 4^th to get the final batter of the inning to pop out to Schneider at first.
 
A rain delay would take place in the fifth inning and would reverse the momentum as what felt like, Erie weather would come and spark some life for the Lakers scoring three runs on four hits in the sixth inning.  First, McRandal came onto the rubber right out of the rain delay that lasted about 25 minutes and almost seemed unfazed as he would force UCSD to go three up three down with two strikeouts in the process. 
 
With the weather and McRandal getting hot on the rubber, the Lakers got hot.  Elliott would reach first via hit by pitch right before Alex O'Donnell would hit a two-run homer to left field cutting the deficit to only two. Schneider would continue to keep the momentum in the Lakers corner has he would double down the left field line as the ball would bounce off third base and go deep into the left field corner. Surowiec got involved in the fun as he would trade places with Schneider at second sending a sizzler down the right field line scoring Schneider and cutting the deficit to one.
 
McRandal would continue to control the mound forcing the Tritons to go three up three down once again in the bottom half of the sixth and would continue to dice through the UCSD lineup retiring 10 straight batters through the 8^th inning before Adam Jeannette would take over.
 
As we headed into the 7^th inning, the Lakers still trailed by one before Elliott would lead off the inning again but this time would reach base on a double to left field right before O'Donnell would single up the middle.  Surowiec would unfortunately hit into a double play but would cap the four run comeback scoring Elliott in the process.
 
Another weather delay would hit in the bottom of the eighth inning for at least 70 minutes before the teams would take the field once more.  As it looked like we were going to go into the bottom of the ninth with a tie score, with two outs, Schneider would have another huge at bat but this time would hit a homerun to left field to give the Lakers its first lead of the game, 6-5. 
 
The Tritons would threaten the Lakers with runners on first and third but Jeannette would buckle down and strikeout the final batter of the game.  This would be the Lakers third ever National tournament victory and farthest the program has ever made it in school history. Your Mercyhurst Lakers are onto the final four here in Cary, NC.

Jeannette (4-1) picked up the win recording three strikeouts in 1.1 innings against six batters faced, not allowing a single hit. McRandal would go the longest out of the Laker pen with four innings pitched, two strikeouts and retired 10 straight.
 
Tritons' own Lucke (4-1) would pick up his first loss of the season allowing one run, one hit in just one inning pitched. 
 
UP NEXT: The Lakers will face Tampa in the semi-final matchup tomorrow, June 6th at 1:00 PM. In order for the Lakers to move onto the finals, they will have to beat Tampa twice due to the Spartans remaining undefeated through tournament play.
 
 

Part two!! ?????? pic.twitter.com/6t92KqrIxE

— Mercyhurst Baseball (@HurstBaseball) June 6, 2019