ERIE, Pa. – The Clarion baseball team opened a four-game set with 17^th ranked Mercyhurst with a doubleheader on Saturday, falling by scores of 10-5 and 5-2 to the Lakers at the Hurst Baseball Field.  The Golden Eagles will look for revenge on Sunday when they host Mercyhurst for a twinbill at Pullman Park in Butler.
 
Game 1
The Golden Eagles fell behind early in Game 1 and tried to rally their way back, scoring three runs in the top of the fifth inning before falling 10-5 to the Lakers.  Mercyhurst tacked on three runs in the bottom of the second inning and six in the sixth to lock up the win over Clarion.
 
Kyler Mellott took the bump to start and had an effective outing, throwing 4.2 innings and allowing just four runs in keeping the Lakers off balance.  The lefty struck out five and walked three, limiting the damage against him to just the second inning.
 
Clarion matched the Lakers in the hit column with seven, but were unable to push across as many runs. The Golden Eagles scored three runs in the top of the fifth inning to tie the Lakers at three. Thomas Lavin led off the inning with a single to right field and advanced to second when Tim Irons did the same. Brian Casper followed with a single through the left side to load the bases, and a Cole Shaffer single to left drove in Lavin to plate the first Clarion run.

Coming off the bench in a pinch hit situation, Dan Fox drove in Irons when he singled to left field to pull the Blue and Gold back within one run. A sacrifice fly from Alex Ficorilli scored Matt Privette who pinch ran for Casper to tie the game at three but that's as close as the Golden Eagles would get as fly out to center field eventually ended the inning.
Mercyhurst plated one more run in the fifth to put the Lakers in the lead for good. They plated six more runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a commanding 10-3 lead but Clarion would try to battle back.

Clarion plated two runs in the top of the seventh to threaten the Laker lead but a ground out would end the threat and give Mercyhurst the win.

Chandler Palyas reached base when he was hit by a pitch and Ben Mongelluzzo, who pinch ran for Palyas, advanced to second when Ficorilli reached on an error by the Laker third baseman. Bryce Jackson scored Mongelluzzo and Ficorilli when he double to right center field to clear the bases and drive in two more runs, but that's as close as Clarion would get.

Game 2
The second game of the day started the same as the first with Mercyhurst scoring early in the bottom frame of the first inning. The Lakers picked up both runs courtesy to a two run homer with two outs in the inning.

Clarion answered with a run of their own in the top of the third when Palyas doubled down the left field line to score Will Constantin who walked in the previous at bat.

The Lakers plated two more runs in the bottom of the third when a sac fly and a double pushed the Laker lead to three. Clarion would answered again with a run of their own in the top of the fourth when Jackson who doubled to start the inning came around to score courtesy to two sac fly's.

A solo homer in bottom of the fourth put the game away for good as the lead reached three making it 5-2. The Golden Eagles would go hitless the rest of the game and the Lakers would cruise to a 5-2 deficit.