Slippery Rock, Pa. - Mercyhurst got their conference schedule started with a bang they were able to take two against Slippery Rock Friday afternoon. The Lakers went on the road and grabbed an 8-1 win in game one while closing things out in fashion by a final of 5-0 to move to 9-5 on the year.

How it Happened

Game One

After being held to just one hit in the first two innings, Mercyhurst managed to fire the opening salvo in the third inning. After the first two batters of the frame made outs, a pair of walks and a single through the right side by Eric Chorba brought Chris Juchno to the plate with the bases loaded. He stayed stoic at the plate as he was plunked, earning him the RBI the hard way while Mercyhurst grabbed a 1-0 lead.

The Lakers then added on in the fourth with a pair of runs to take a three-run lead into the bottom of the frame. The first run came via a two-out triple off the bat of Mitchell Grosch as he sliced one down the right field line.

Coach Spano's crew then got their second RBI off of a hit batter before the end of the stanza to extend their lead. The Laker's hurler Jarrett Heilman did his part in keeping The Rock down as he threw a complete game, giving up just one run with it coming in the seventh.

The Lakers added on with four runs in the fifth as they extended their lead to 7-0. The first two runs came off of a pinch-hit single off the bat of freshman Zachary Kouorus.

Eric Chorba followed with a double to plate the next two as Mercyhurst had jumped way out in front thanks to a big fifth frame on their way to the 8-1 win.

Game Two

The Laker's offense picked up right where they left off in the backend of the doubleheader. They managed to plate one run in the top of the second with a single from Matt Christopher to make it 1-0. They then added two more to their tally in the third with Landon DiBeradin and Ryan Hill both hitting RBI singles.

Just like the first game, Mercyhurst's pitching proved big as Slippery Rock was unable to score in the game with them tallying only three hits. John Bufford Jr. took the mound for the Lakers to start the game and did his part, going four scoreless innings while fanning five with just one hit to his ledger.

After failing to score in both the third and fourth, Mercyhurst broke through in the first frame thanks to some two-out magic from Chris Juchno. The sophomore laced a double into right field with Vincent Stutz and Matt Christopher both crossing home plate to make it a 5-0 game.

Highlights

Matt Christopher led the team in hits with five in his two games with one double to his line while adding in two RBIs and three runs scored. Eric Chorba continued his hot hitting as he went 4-8 at the plate while getting his team-leading third triple of the season in game one. Jarrett Heilman got his first complete game of the season, going seven inning while allowing just one run on three hits while striking out a season-high eight batters. John Bufford Jr. followed up his fello hurler with a strong outing of his own in game two with four scoreless frames and five strikeouts.

Next Game

Mercyhurst is scheduled to return home and host The Rock tomorrow with the two teams playing a pair of games on the Mercyhurst Baseball Field with first pitch set for 1:00 p.m.