Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst baseball saw their mid-week contest with the Falcons get pushed back one day to Wednesday afternoon and it was worth the wait with the Lakers putting on a show against Notre Dame. Mercyhurst ended up putting up 10 run in the game while starting hurler Ryan Rafalski carried a no-hitter into the later stages in the 10-1 win.
How it Happened
After a wild pitch helped get the Lakers on the board with one run in the first, they ended up coming out in the second and put some distance between themselves and the Falcons with four runs in the frame. All four of them ended up coming in on one swing of the bat as Luke Jackson sent one over the centerfield fence to make it 5-0, giving his team all the momentum going forward.
Mercyhurst managed to push one run across in both the third and fourth innings to make it a 7-0 game as this one seemed all but over in the first few innings. It was the Laker's starter Ryan Rafalski's efforts on the mound that made their seven-run seem even larger as he ended up dominating the Falcons in the early going with three strikeouts to his ledger through the first four innings while allowing just three base runners.
Rafalski continued to control things on the mound with him not allowing a hit until the seventh when Notre Dame was able to collect their first two base hits of the contest. That was all they could muster, though, with the righty keeping his counterpart off the board. His strong performance helped feed into his teammates efforts at the plate with his team staying well out in front until the very end.
Highlights
Five different Lakers registered two hits in the game. Of that group, Jack Malec led the way with the most runs scored of anyone in the game with three while John Susnik's two RBIs led the group. Overall, Susnik's two runs were second on the team behind only Luke Jackson's four with all of them coming on the grand slam. On the mound, Rafalski finished with 7.0 innings to his line with him allowing just two while to go along with one walk and eight Ks. His seven innings ties his career high which he threw against the Falcons a season ago in a game in which he registered a career-high 10 strikeouts, showing himself to have Notre Dame's number.
Next Game
The Lakers return to PSAC play this upcoming weekend when they see Slippery Rock on the 29th and 30th. The Rock come to Erie for the front half of the series with two games on Friday with first pitch set for 1:00 p.m. while the final two games of the set will be played at Slippery Rock on the 30th.
