ERIE, Pa. (March 23) – The California University of Pennsylvania baseball team was shutout in a pair of contests at No. 15 Mercyhurst on Friday afternoon, falling 1-0 in extra innings of Game 1 before suffering a 4-0 loss in Game 2 to open Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action.

With the losses, the Vulcans drop to 9-8 on the season with a 0-2 record in league play. Cal U was shutout in both games after scoring at least seven runs in six of its last seven contests. Meanwhile, the Lakers improve to 10-3 overall behind a 2-0 record in conference action. 

In Game 1, senior starter Carter Krick (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) suffered the loss (2-1) after allowing one run (earned) on five hits over 7.0-plus innings (122 pitches). Sophomore reliever Bradyn Kail (Baltimore, Md./Loyola Blakefield) faced two batters in the eighth inning before the Lakers notched a walk-off single after opening the frame with three-straight singles to earn a 1-0 victory. Mercyhurst junior starter Chris Vallimont tossed a two-hit, complete-game shutout with a career-high 15 strikeouts over 8.0 innings (108 pitches). 

Senior shortstop Austin Logan (Beaver, Pa./Beaver) opened the contest with a single to center field before advancing to second on a stolen base. Cal U left Logan stranded on second to close out the first inning. The Vulcans prevented a run from scoring in the bottom of the second, as redshirt freshman left fielder Bill Hitman (Norristown, Pa./Pope John Paul II) threw out a runner at home to force the Lakers to leave two on base in the frame. Logan registered a two-out single in the top of the third and collected another stolen base before being stranded in scoring position to conclude the inning. Cal U went three-up, three-down over the next four innings, while Krick scattered two hits and recorded five strikeouts over that stretch. Mercyhurst broke the tie in extra innings after posting four-straight singles to earn the walk-off win in the eighth frame. 

Logan went 2-for-3 at the plate and was left in scoring position twice, while the Vulcans played their third extra-inning contest this season. 

In Game 2, both teams were held to one hit and two runners left on base over the initial two innings. Logan was left in scoring position in the third after registering a two-out single in the top half of the inning. Mercyhurst scored three runs in the bottom of the third after starting the inning with a leadoff single. The runner advanced to third following a sacrifice bunt and passed ball before another single drove in the run. Laker junior Alex O'Donnell then belted a two-run homer to extend the lead to 3-0. The Vulcans went three-up, three-down in the fourth before forcing Mercyhurst to strand two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the inning. In the sixth, Mercyhurst added an insurance run to make it a 4-0 advantage heading into the final inning. Sophomore designated hitter Corey Fogle (Connellsville, Pa./Connellsville) attempted to break the shutout in the seventh with a triple to open the frame before three-straight strikeouts concluded the game. 

Sophomore starter Nick Riggle (Pittsburgh, Pa./Keystone Oaks) was saddled with the loss (1-2) after tossing a complete game, yielding four runs (all earned) on five hits with two strikeouts over 6.0 innings (84 pitches). Mercyhurst junior starter Russell Lamovec earned the win (2-1) after allowing two hits and recording 10 strikeouts in 6.0 scoreless innings (87 pitches). 

Cal U continues its series with Mercyhurst tomorrow, Saturday, March 24, with a home doubleheader in Washington, Pennsylvania, at Wild Things Park at 1 p.m.