Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 CLARION, Pa. – Despite getting two of its better pitched games of the year, the Clarion University baseball team dropped a PSAC West doubleheader to visiting Mercyhurst Monday.
 
In Game One, Mercyhurst won 6-1 despite Clarion starter Sam Skraba giving up just six runs in his first start of the year. Skraba went seven innings allowing 12 hits and two walks while striking out five.
 
The second game saw Caleb McGary touched up for just five runs, four earned, in a 5-1 defeat. McGary went seven innings allowing eight hits and three walks while striking out four.
 
Clarion had chances to score in both games leaving five runners on, three in scoring position, in Game One and four on with two in scoring position in Game Two while collecting a total of 12 hits on the day, including seven in game One.
 in both games.  
 
In Game One, seven different Golden Eagles had base hits, all singles, with Joey Gierlak's leading to a run when Gierlak scored unearned in the fifth innings coming home all the way from second on a swinging bunt to the catcher by Drew Pirritano Joey Gierlak bunt.
 
Clarion also had runners in scoring position in the second and third innings but couldn't score.
 
In the second, Mike Lockhart singled with two outs and Joey Lopez followed with an infield single putting runners at first and second. But Ponsoll flew out to center to end the inning.
 
Then in the third, Clarion strung together four straight singles from Pirritano, Jordan Mesoraco, Derek Danver and Bill Hasson but didn't score because Pirritano was picked off at first base prior to the final three base hits.
 
Meanwhile, Mercyhurst scored once in the third, twice in the fifth, twice more in the sixth and once in the seventh.
 
In the second game, Clarion fell behind 5-0 after two innings with Mercyhurst scoring twice in the first and three times in the second before the Golden Eagles got their lone run in the bottom of the second when Danver singled and went to second when Lockhart was hit by a pitch. Both runners moved up on a passed ball before Joey Lopez grounded into an RBI fielder's choice that also moved Lockhart to third. But Gierlak hit a ball hard right at the third baseman for the final out.
 
Clarion also had a runner in scoring position in the fourth when Hasson and Nick Maskrey led off the inning with back-to-back singles putting runners on first and second. But Danver flew out, Lockhart struck out and Lopez flew out to end the inning.
 
The Golden Eagles appeared to be in good position again in the fifth when Gierlak led off by reaching on an error and Pirritano singled. But Mercyhurst changed pitchers, Gierlak was picked off second before a pitch was ever thrown and Brett Sutika grounded into an inning-ending double play.
 
Clarion had five hits in the game, all singles, with five different players getting them.
 
With the losses, Clarion drops to 1-33 overall, 1-19 in the PSAC West while Mercyhurst moved to 28-14 and 13-7 in the West.
 
Clarion returns to action Tuesday at Mansfield.