Mercyhurst's five seniors pose with the PSAC Champions Trophy
Mercyhurst Claims First PSAC Baseball Championship
PSAC Baseball Tournament Central
Box Score
Mercyhurst scored two first-inning runs and built its lead to as large as 9-0 en route to winning its first PSAC baseball championship with a 12-3 win over IUP. Ben Rawding turned in a strong performance with an eight-inning outing, scattering seven hits and allowing three runs, two earned, two walks and striking out five to pick up the win for the Lakers, his second of the tournament. Zak Blair went 4-for-6 with three RBI while Bill Gerstenslager went 2-for-4 with three runs and Craig Denman went 4-for-5 to pace the Laker 15-hit attack.
IUP started Chris Douglas on just one day of rest. Douglas, who picked up the win on Thursday night again, turned in three innings and allowed five hits, four runs, three earned, one walk and struck out two. The Crimson Hawks used eight pitchers on the day.
The Lakers scored two in the first, taking advantage of an IUP error. It remained 2-0 until the fourth, when they pushed four across to take a 6-0 lead. They scored three more in the fifth as they took advantage of four walks and just had one hit in the frame, a bunt single by Denman that hit the first base bag. It was 9-0 before the Crimson Hawks were able to score as Rawding gave up just one hit and faced just one over the minimum through five innings. IUP scored two in the sixth and added one more in the eighth.
Mercyhurst center fielder Justin Urschel was named the tournament MVP. Urschel hit .385 with three doubles and three RBI, including the game-tying two-run double with two outs in the bottom of the ninth in Friday night's game against Millersville, a game the Lakers would win in extra innings to go to the championship game. Urschel also scored a tournament-high seven runs, compiled a .600 on-base percentage and a .615 slugging percentage.
With the win, Mercyhurst not only wins its first PSAC baseball title in this, its third year in the PSAC, but it also clinches the automatic berth into the NCAA tournament. The Lakers were also PSAC runners-up in 2009.
