ERIE, Pa. – The Golden Eagle baseball team dropped a pair of games on the road on Friday afternoon, falling in both ends of a doubleheader to Mercyhurst at Mercyhurst Field. Clarion (12-21, 10-14 PSAC West) dropped an 8-0 decision in the first game of the day and a 2-0 contest in the nightcap.
 
Laker pitchers were effective in keeping Golden Eagles off the basepaths, allowing just eight combined hits in the two games. Conversely, Mercyhurst took advantage of a couple big innings in the first game but could only eke out a pair of runs in the second as the Golden Eagle pitching kept the Lakers at bay as well.
 
Will Constantin and Kasey Shughart were the only Golden Eagles with multiple hits, with Constantin going 2-for-2 with a hit-by-pitch in the first game. Constantin gave Clarion their best scoring chance of the first game, leading off the top of the seventh inning with a double down the left field line. Scott McManamon advanced him to third base with a productive groundout to the right side of the infield, giving Clarion their only baserunner to reach third base all day. Mercyhurst quashed the scoring chance, with Hunter Treece fanning Tim Irons and Matt Privette to end the threat.
 
Logan Schlegel (3-2) was tagged with the loss, allowing eight runs 3.2 innings. Sam Rice came on in relief and shut the Lakers out for the rest of the game, allowing just three hits and no runs in 2.1 innings of action.
 
In some ways the second game played out differently, as Dereck Pritchard (1-2) was fairly stingy on the mound. He allowed two runs in 5.2 innings pitched, but his mound counterpart Vincenzo Lucente was sharp in throwing a complete game three-hit shutout.  The only runner to reach scoring position in the second game came in the top of the first inning, after Alex Ficorilli reached on a fielder's choice and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Lucente struck out Thomas Lavin and Nick Fugh to end the threat, and then proceeded to control the action the rest of the way. Pritchard was strong in avoiding the big inning, allowing one run apiece in the first and third innings.
 
Clarion will look for revenge against Mercyhurst tomorrow afternoon when they host the Lakers for a pair on Senior Day.