Erie, Pa.- Mercyhurst made some more history on Saturday after they took both games in a doubleheader against the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. The Lakers saw Eric Chorba walk things off for the second straight game in a five run comeback effort from Mercyhurst. Then in the second game of the double header, the Lakers hit seven home runs to clinch their first ever sweep at the Division I level. Jacob Bazala earned wins in all three games of the series.
 
How it Happened:
Game One:
The Lakers kicked off their second home doubleheader with a rough inning. Daniel Thomas saw the Hawks bat around in the first. He recorded just one out before being replaced by Nick Hamilton, who was able to limit the damage to just five runs. It wasn't until the third inning that the Lakers finally made a dent in that lead. The hero of the series, Eric Chorba, hit a single to drive in Nick Jackson and make it a 5-1 game. But UMES had an immediate answer as Jonathan Gonzalez hit a two-out RBI double in the top of the fourth. Ethan Adams cut right back into that lead with a two-out double of his own that drove in Landon DiBeradin. The Lakers made it a 6-3 game the next inning after Nick Jackson was able to round the bases for the second time in the game. He scored on a wild pitch and the play turned out to give Mercyhurst all of the momentum. The Hawks continued to threaten as they left a runner on third in both the sixth and seventh innings of play. Not being able to drive in either of them proved to be costly. In the eighth, DiBeradin singled in a pair of runs before Casey Smith hit a ground rule double to tie things. Jacob Bazala then held the Hawks after allowing two baserunners in the ninth allowing Chorba to earn his second walk off hit in as many days to complete the comeback win.
 
Game Two:
Unlike the previous two games in the series, the Lakers got started early. It was once again the heroes of the series making the big plays. Walker and Chorba hit back-to-back home runs to put Mercyhurst up 2-0 quick. Walker tacked on his third home run of the series his next time at the plate to make it a 3-0 contest. The Hawks struggled to hit over the first four innings as they tallied just one hit. The Lakers took advantage of that as they added another run in the fourth, this time it was Jackson who scored on a wild pitch. In the fifth, Eric Chorba blasted his second homer of the game to kickstart a four run inning. Ethan Adams accounted for the other three runs with a three-run home run to make it 8-0. Mercyhurst came close making it a mercy rule game after DiBeradin led off the bottom of the seventh with a solo blast.
 
The Hawks finally showed some life in the eighth inning after Luka Gilliam hit in their first run of the day. Diego Aponte added the Hawks second run of the day after he scored on a double play. Chris Juchno extended his on base streak to 20 games in the bottom of frame though after he led off with the Lakers seventh home run of the day. In the top of the ninth, UMES had three pinch hitters and the third, Sebastian Davila, gave them their third run of the game. They added one more run on a balk before Jaden Fabian closed things out.
 
Next Game:
Mercyhurst will be back in action against Kent State to close out their four-game homestand. The game will start at 2:00 p.m. and can be caught on the NEC Front Row.
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