Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst baseball welcomed the Mountain Cats to town for the first two games of a four-game series on the weekend with each squad grabbing a win. Those victories came on the backs of no-hitters as Pitt-Johnstown threw one in game one to earn the 1-0 win while Ryan Rafalski dominated in game two for Mercyhurst, helping him complete the no-hitter in the team's 4-0 game two win.
How it Happened
In game one, the Mountain Cats were able to strike first, scoring one run in the opening inning of the doubleheader. An error on the infield by the Lakers allowed a runner to reach first before a one-out triple allowed UPJ to take a 1-0 lead. From there, Mercyhurst looked to fight back and get on the board, but were unable to do so. They were met with a strong pitching effort by the Mountain Cat's starter, Rodney Schultz, as the righty ended up allowing just one base runner in a first inning walk to help him claim a 1-0 win and the no-hitter.
Game two started off in similar fashion with neither team able to get much going in way of offense. It was not until the bottom of the third that Mercyhurst was able to register their first hit of the day with a single from John Susnik leading off the frame. The team also ended up scoring for the first time on the day in the inning with two-RBI single to left field off the bat of Luke Jackson making it a 2-0 game.
The Lakers added on in the following frame with two more runs. After the first two outs of the canto were made, Susnik got his second hit of the game with this one being a big one as the backstop sent one over the wall in left, making it a 3-0 lead. Zachary Kourous ended up getting a single later in the frame to allow the fourth and final run of the game to come across with that advantage being more than enough for the Laker hurler.
After a walk and a fielder's choice in the third allowed a pair of runners to reach safely, Mercyhurst's Rafalski went on a run to put an exclamation point on a day he won't soon forget. The righty set down the side in both the fourth and fifth innings with three ground ball and one strikeout in that time. A walk led off the sixth, but was immediately erased thanks to a crucial 3-6-3 double play. It was a 6-4-3 double play that ended up accounting for the final two outs of the contest to help end the historic day and secure the Laker no-no.
Highlights
Kourous and Susnik finished as the only Lakers on the day two have multiple hits in the game with each having two. They were two of the three Mercyhurst hitters to have extra base hits as well with the Laker catcher hitting a home run while Kourous laced a double, joined by Chris Juchno with one of his own in the third inning of game two. Corbin Foy pitched very well in game one with only one unearned run to his line while fanning seven in seven innings of work. His effort was still not the best one of the day for Mercyhurst with Ryan Rafalski pitching the no-hitter in game two. It's the first no-no for the Lakers since 2019 when the Laker's Tyler Garbee did so against Slippery Rock in a 2-0 win, allowing just one walk with 12 strikeouts.
Next Game
The Lakers now hit the road to see Pitt-Johnstown tomorrow for a pair of games, looking to grab a pair of wins on the road. Mercyhurst and the Mountain Cats are set to begin game one at 1:00 p.m. with the final contest of the series to follow.
