Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst Baseball has gotten on a roll of late, winning each of their last four games and seven of their last eight. They hope to continue that success this weekend when they take on cross-town rivals Gannon with the team traveling to see the Golden Knights on Friday, April 7th, with a pair of games on the Mercyhurst Baseball Field scheduled for 1:00 p.m. the following day.
1. Tough Competition
Over the course of the history between the two teams, Mercyhurst has enjoyed the advantage with a 27-17 record against the Golden Knights. Things have been closer here in recent years with the Lakers winning only four games in their last 10 tires. The two teams have been in some close games during those 10 contests as all but one has provided a save opportunity, showing how close these two teams are.
2. All Hail Heilman
Mercyhurst picked up their first PSAC weekly award of the season this past week with Laker hurler Jarrett Heilman being named the PSAC Pitcher of the Week. The junior came off an impressive start against Clarion in game one of the four-game series in which he pitched a complete game shutout, going seven innings in the 6-0 win. He ended up giving up just one hit while walking one and fanning seven in a performance that only saw 78 pitches.
3. Leading the Way
Heilman has been the top arm for coach Spano's crew this season with him leading the team in ERA (1.91), innings (33.0), Ks, (33), and batting average against (.178). Jacob Bazala has also been sharp on the mound with a 2.54 ERA in 28.1 innings of work while allowing hitters to hit .215 off of him. On offense, Matt Christopher is tops in batting average at .377 with a .511 OBP while Eric Chorba is the leader in SLG (.567) and OPS (1.005). He is second on the team in doubles with four while his three triples rank first among the Lakers and tied for second in the PSAC.
4. Scouting the Golden Knights
Gannon is 10-12 on the year to this point with a 5-3 record in the PSAC, winning each of their last two contests against Cal (Pa.). While the offense has been solid up to this point, the Golden Knight's pitching has let them down as they currently have a team ERA of 6.38, the fourth-highest in the PSAC. They rely on Ian Hess and Jared Bielanin to do a lot of work at the plate as they both have OPSs above 1.000 with Bielanin leading the way at 1.041 while Hess sits at 1.005, proving to be a dynamic duo.
5. Next Game
After their contests against Gannon, the Lakers take a quick break from PSAC play to travel and take on the Oilers of Findlay on Tuesday, April 11th. They then come home for two games against UPJ on Friday before rounding out the week with the Mountain Cats on the road the following day in a 1:00 p.m. start.
