Erie, PA—With the opportunity to sweep their first PSAC series of the season, the Mercyhurst Baseball team took full advantage of the situation winning 10-3 in game one and finishing off the sweep with a 6-1 win over the IUP Crimson Hawks.
Game One (W, 10-3)
The Crimson Hawks were the ones to jump on top in the first inning after they strung together a couple hits and a stolen base to take the 1-0 lead.
Mercyhurst would respond in the second inning as they put up six runs. Matthew Gibson started the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Casimer Sobaszek was able to single to right and advanced on the throw that was too late at the plate as Gibson scored to tie game.
After Dominic Cecere and Luke Baranchak walked, the lineup turned over for Troy Banks. Banks drove one just short of the warning track in left center which was caught but it was deep enough to have Sobaszek score the second Laker run.
With runners on first and second, Jack Elliott singled to right which allowed Cecere to score and Baranchak moved up to third after the right fielder bobbled the ball.
Three pitches later Philip Ferranti doubled which allowed Elliott and Baranchak to score and make 5-1.
After Josh Surowiec reached on an error Ferranti was able to come home on a passed ball to make it 6-1.
In the third inning the Lakers made their lead eight. The middle infield combo of Sobaszek and Cecere each got on base to open the inning. Baranchak blasted a no doubter into a backyard to make it 9-1.
After IUP pushed a run across in both the fourth and fifth, Ferranti blasted his fifth dinger of the season to make it 10-3.
Brett Whiteman got the ball in game one, he went four strong innings allowing just two earned runs while also striking out four and getting six groundouts. The trio of Adam Jeannette, Josh Greggs, and Robert Hartman shut the door on any chance of a Crimson Hawk comeback. The trio combined allowed just one run, two hits while striking out six.
With the win Whiteman improved his record to 3-0 in his senior season.
Game 2 (W, 6-1)
With the chance to take all four games of the weekend, Banks started the Lakers off with a bang as he blasted his sixth homer of the season on just the second pitch of the bottom of the first.
The Lakers weren't done in the opening frame, with one out Ferranti doubled to right center, the very next pitch Surowiec swapped places with him as he doubled down the right field line. On a 3-2 pitch, Tyler Zaluski singled up the middle which allowed Surowiec to score and make it 3-0.
IUP got their lone run in the second after a stolen base and an error.
In the fifth inning, Mercyhurst extended their lead to five. Baranchak opened the inning with a five-pitch walk, Banks followed that up with a single, both runners advanced on a passed ball. The passed ball allowed the runners to jog a little less as Elliott blasted his PSAC high ninth homer of the season to make it 6-1.
Oh yea, the pitching staff allowed just three hits in game two. Frank Fraschetti went three innings and picked up his first win of the season. Chad Cwik took over in the fourth inning and went 2.2 scoreless innings while striking out three and getting four flyouts. Michael Krauza finished the sixth by striking out the only batter he faced.
Jack Goonan came in for the seventh inning and needed just 13 pitches to end the game. Goonan struck -out the first two batters he faced. He then got a groundout to end the day and give the Lakers the four-game sweep.
Where They Rank
Elliott leads the PSAC in home runs while being fifth in RBIs and runs scored. Banks is in seventh in runs scored. Krauza is fourth in the conference with a 2.03 ERA and third in opposing batting average with a .171. The Laker pitching staff is second in opposing batting average with a .225 and third in ERA at 4.27.
Team Leaders
Batting Average: Ferranti .372, Gibson .353, Banks .315, Zaluski .314
Home Runs: Elliott 9, Banks 6, Ferranti 5, Gibson 3, Zaluski, Surowiec
RBI: Elliott 27, Surowiec 24, Ferranti 18, Gibson, Banks 16
Runs: Elliott, Banks 27, Gibson 21, Ferranti 19, Surowiec 18
ERA (Min. 7 Appearances): Stewart 1.17, Krauza 2.03, Michael McDonough 2.49, Whiteman 4.26
Strikeouts: McDonough 46, Krauza 36, Frank Fraschetti 22, Chase Stewart 19, Whiteman 18
Up Next
Mercyhurst will face No.7 Seton Hill next weekend, the Lakers will host on Friday before heading to Seton Hill on Saturday.
