Box Score / PSAC Tournament Central (psacsports.org)

JOHNSTOWN – Ethan Santora hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th inning to spoil East Stroudsburg University's four-run comeback in the ninth and give Mercyhurst a 6-5 victory in the first round of the PSAC Baseball Tournament on Wednesday afternoon at Point Stadium.

The Warriors (25-17) will return to the field on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. against Shippensburg, which lost 13-6 to California in the opening game of the tournament. Mercyhurst (36-10), the No. 1 seed from the PSAC West, advances to face California in the winners' bracket at 3:30 p.m.

ESU battled back from a 5-1 deficit in the top of the ninth to get the game to extra innings keyed by a two-run single by sophomore C Nico Delerme.

The first three batters reached base on a single by sophomore 1B Brian Ernst and walks to freshman OF Chris Knott and freshman DH Matt Bahnick to chase reliever Matthew Jiminez, who replaced first team All-PSAC West starter Eric Aschley (8.0 IP, 4 hits, 0 ER, 6 strikeouts, 2 walks) to start the inning.

Delerme greeted Ben Rawding with a base hit down the left field line to plate Ernst and Knott, and a passed ball moved Bahnick to third and pinch-runner Kurtis Roberts to second with the tying run. Junior 2B Ryan Guarino lifted a fly ball to center and the Warriors caught a break when Justin Urschel dropped the first out of the inning with an eye on throwing Bahnick out on the sacrifice fly.

Bahnick scored to make it 5-4 and Roberts moved to third on the miscue. Sophomore OF Evan Cain grounded into a double play in the next at bat but Roberts scored to tie the game at 5-5.

Freshman pitcher Keenan Stare, who entered to start the eighth inning, pitched around a two-out walk to Santora to get out of the ninth and force extra innings.

The Warriors didn't manage a base runner in the 10th or 11th off Rawding, last year's PSAC West Freshman of the Year and a second team All-PSAC West starting pitcher this season.

Stare faced three batters in the 10th, getting a double play after a one-out walk, but a leadoff walk ended up costing the Warriors in the bottom of the 11th. Urschel walked on four pitches and moved up on a sacrifice bunt by leadoff hitter Jonathan Keppler for the first out of the inning.

ESU intentionally walked Zak Blair to put the double play in order, but both runners advanced on a wild pitch and Kevin McCall was intentionally walked to load the bases. Santora ended the game with a single off the wall in left to give Mercyhurst its second win over ESU in the PSAC Tournament in the last two seasons.

The Warriors took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning when junior 2B Ryan Guarino and Cain hit back-to-back singles with one out and redshirt junior 3B Jake Griesemer flared a line drive to right that was misplayed by the right fielder.

Sophomore Mike Glassic made his first start for the Warriors since March 29 and had a strong outing, going 4.1 innings and giving up two runs on four hits. Mercyhurst tied the game at 1-1 on a one-out double by Urschel and an RBI single by Blair, and went ahead 3-1 in the fifth when Shane Latshaw hit a leadoff double and the Lakers capitalized on four walks.

Mercyhurst went ahead 5-1 in the sixth, taking advantage of a single and two walks to open the inning. Sophomore reliever Mike Muglia got Urschel, the first batter he faced, to ground into a double play and Keppler singled to push the advantage to four.

The Warriors got two base runners in the seventh when Ernst reached on a leadoff error and Delerme singled with two outs, but Aschley got out of the inning with a strikeout. He pitched around a one-out walk in the eighth before being lifted for Jimenez in the ninth.

ESU sent five pitchers to the mound with Stare taking the loss despite giving up just one hit in 3.1 innings, the game-winning single by Santora. Glassic was relieved by freshman Keith Moyer, sophomore Colin Kelly and Muglia (2.0 IP, 2 hits, 1 strikeout, 1 walk). Mercyhurst had eight hits, drew 11 walks and had two hit by pitches.

Rawding picked up the win for Mercyhurst, improving to 5-1 on the season after failing to convert the save.

The Warriors had six hits, drew four walks and left just five runners on base. Ernst was 2-for-5, Delerme was 2-for-3 with a walk, Guarino was 1-for-2 with a walk, sacrifice bunt and sacrifice fly and Cain was 1-for-4.