Greensburg, PA—The Mercyhurst baseball team saw their quest for a PSAC championship end today as they fell to No. 7 Seton Hill by scores of 7-4 and 6-3.
Game One (L, 7-4)
In the first game of the PSAC Semifinals against Seton Hill, the Lakers fell to the No. 7 Griffins. Seton Hill took the lead in the fourth inning after the two starting pitchers kept both teams hitless in the first three innings.
Mercyhurst bounced back in the top of the fifth inning. Philip Ferranti got the inning started with a leadoff single. Just two pitches later Jack Elliott singled up the middle to put runners on first and second. Troy Banks then joined the hit parade as he singled to load the bases. Matthew Gibson then singled to center field to drive in Ferranti to tie the game at one. After two outs from the Lakers and a pitching change from the Griffins, Casimer Sobaszek doubled to left center which cleared the bases and gave the Lakers a 4-1 lead.
Seton Hill responded with a five-run inning to take the lead back. They then put up an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth to make it 7-4.
Michael McDonough started game one for the Lakers and went 4+ innings and tallied five strikeouts and allowed four runs and four hits. Michael Krauza picked up just his second loss of the season as he went three innings and allowed three runs on five hits while he also struckout five. Josh Greggs worked a scoreless inning in which he struckout two while getting a flyout for the other out.
The Lakers had six hits in the loss, Banks had two, Ferranti, Elliott, Sobaszek and Gibson each had one while Josh Surowiec drew the only Laker walk in the first game of the day.
Game Two (L, 6-3)
Like game one Seton Hill jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning after they strung together some hits against Vincenzo Lucente.
However, the Lakers answered back in the bottom of the second inning as they were the home team for game two. Banks blasted his eighth homer of the season to cut the Griffin lead in half.
In the fifth the Lakers once again used the long ball, Gibson hit his fifth homer of the season to tie the game at two.
Luke Baranchak gave the Lakers the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning when he homered to right center for his fourth of the year.
In the top of the ninth, the Griffins used three hits and an error to take the 6-3 lead over the Lakers.
Lucente started game two and went two innings and allowed two runs on three hits. Chase Stewart came out of the bullpen and went 3.1 innings while allowing no runs and just one hit while striking out four batters. Gregss then came out of the pen and went 2.2 innings and game up three hits and no runs while striking out four.
So, What's Next?
We wait, the NCAA baseball selection show will be held next Sunday (May 23rd) at 10 PM on NCAA.com. This past week the NCAA released their second under consideration list, Mercyhurst was one of seven teams to be listed. Five teams will be selected for the Atlantic Regional which will be held in Charleston, West Virginia.
