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WEST LAWN - Redshirt senior Matt Festa threw his ninth straight complete game and set East Stroudsburg University's single-season strikeout record, but Mercyhurst did enough offensively for a 6-3 win in the Warriors' NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional opener on Thursday night at Owls Field.

ESU (36-17) will play Chowan (26-24) on Friday morning at 11 a.m. in an elimination game. Chowan, the No. 7 seed, fell 12-6 to No. 2 seed West Chester on Thursday afternoon.

Mercyhurst (41-12), the No. 3 seed, advances to play West Chester on Friday night. Host and No. 1 seed Millersville takes on No. 5 Seton Hill in a winners bracket game Friday afternoon after the Griffins posted a 3-0 win vs. No. 4 Shepherd.

Redshirt junior second baseman Jay Young was 3-for-3 with a double, walk, RBI and two runs to lead ESU offensively.

Festa went all 8.0 innings, allowing six runs (four earned) on 12 hits, struck out 10 and didn't issue a walk.

He set school records for strikeouts in a season (105), surpassing the mark of 100 set by Joel Bennett in 1991, and innings pitched (88.0), topping the record of 87.1 set by Ed Kuss in 1979. Festa, an All-Region first team selection and the PSAC East Co-Pitcher of the Year, entered with an 11-1 record, 2.14 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 80.0 innings this spring.

Colin McKee, the PSAC West Pitcher of the Year, went 6.0 innings for the Lakers, improving to 11-1 after throwing 6.0 innings and allowing two runs on four hits with seven strikeouts and four walks.

Matthew Jaskolka earned the save for Mercyhurst, going 3.0 innings and allowing one run on three hits with three strikeouts and no walks.

Mercyhurst struck first in the fourth inning, scoring two runs on three hits with two errors before Festa stranded runners on first and third with one out.

ESU got both runs back in the top of the fifth. Young drew a one-out walk, redshirt junior OF Robert Bennie singled and redshirt junior SS Conner Crookham hit a two-run, two-out triple to tie the game at 2-2.

Mercyhurst went back ahead 4-2 in the bottom of the sixth, scoring two runs on three hits and an error, including a two-out RBI single.

The Warriors cut it to 4-3 in the top of the seventh, getting a leadoff single by Young, a double by Bennie and a sacrifice fly to left by Allen before leaving the tying run at second base.

The Lakers added to their lead with a run in both the seventh and eighth innings, getting a pair of two-out hits in the seventh and a two-out RBI triple in the eighth.


GAME NOTES
* ESU is playing in the NCAA DII Tournament for the third time in six seasons (2011, 2013) and the fourth time in school history (1985).

* Festa falls to 23-7 in 33 career starts (212.0 innings, 13 complete games, 2 shutouts, 215 strikeouts). His 23 career wins in three seasons are a school record, as are his 11 wins this season.

* Festa set ESU's single-season records for complete games (9) and games started (13).

* R-Sr. 3B Drew Hercik played in his 200th career game, extending his school record. He has started all 200 games of his career at ESU.

* Mercyhurst had 12 hits with third baseman Austin Alonge going 3-for-4 with a double and two runs and shortstop Cameron Balego going 3-for-4 with a double, RBI and a run.

* Lakers DH Daniel Elliott was 2-for-4 with two RBI, knocking in runs with singles in the fourth and sixth innings.

* Chris Gonzalez had a two-out RBI single after a double by Alonge in the seventh, and Jimmy Latona had a two-out RBI triple after a one-out double by Balego in the eighth.

* ESU had six players named to All-Region teams this week:
R-Sr. RHP Matt Festa - NCBWA and D2CCA 1st team
R-Jr. OF Robert Bennie - NCBWA Co-Player of the Year, D2CCA 1st team
R-Jr. 2B Jay Young - NCBWA and D2CCA 1st team
R-Jr. SS Conner Crookham - NCBWA 2nd team
R-Sr. 3B Drew Hercik - D2CCA 1st team
Jr. OF/LHP Ian Allen - NCBWA 2nd team utility


ESU season strikeouts
105 - Matt Festa (2016)
100 - Joel Bennett (1991)
88 - Brian Ernst (2013)
80 - Jeremy Gigliotti (2011)

ESU career strikeouts
238 - Jeremy Gigliotti (2007-11)
215 - Matt Festa (2014-16)
215 - Joel Bennett (1989-91)