Jared Wiesen
Mike Gallagher
Senior Jared Wiesen beat a throw home for the winning run during Sunday's opener against Mercyhurst.

Baseball Dan Teliski, Assistant Director of Athletics for Media Relations

Gannon Baseball Team Walks Off Mercyhurst in Opener; Halted By Snow in Nightcap

THE RUNDOWN
  • Game One Score: at Gannon 5, Mercyhurst 4
  • Game Two Score: (Suspended in top of fifth with Mercyhurst leading 5-0)
  • Records: Gannon (22-10, 10-5 PSAC West), Mercyhurst (23-9, 11-4 PSAC West)
  • Location: Erie, Pa. - McConnell Family Stadium
  • The Short Story: Senior Jared Wiesen (Girard, Ohio/Liberty) beat a throw home on sophomore Matt Oruch's (Blue Bell, Pa./Wissahickon) grounder to short for a walk-off 5-4 victory against Mercyhurst Sunday afternoon in the opener of a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division doubleheader at McConnell Family Stadium. However, the two rivals were unable to complete the twinbill when snow halted the nightcap with the Lakers holding a 5-0 lead during the top of the fifth inning.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
HOW IT HAPPENED - GAME ONE
  • Gannon opened an early 2-0 lead with single runs during the bottom of the first and second innings. The Golden Knights scored during their first at-bat with a single by redshirt senior Mark DeVita (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills), hit by pitch for sophomore Charles Benack (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) and RBI single by Oruch.
  • The Golden Knights added an unearned run in the second. DeVita's RBI single plated the run after a hit by pitch, error and walk.
  • Mercyhurst cut the deficit in half during the top of the third inning, but Gannon answered immediately with senior Chris Beer's (Burlington, Ontario/M.M. Robinson) two-out, two-run blast to left field for a 4-1 lead.
  • The Lakers chipped away, scoring once in the fourth and tying the contest with a pair of runs in the sixth.
  • Mercyhurst had a golden chance to move ahead during the top of the seventh inning, putting runners on first and second with no outs.
  • Gannon called junior closer Nico DiPaolo (Bridgeville, Pa./Bishop Canevin) out of the bullpen at that point. He proceeded to throw the lead runner out on a sacrifice bunt attempt and forced an inning-ending double play.
  • Wiesen led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk and immediately stole second on the next pitch. After one out, he moved to third on a wild pitch. Oruch then followed with a grounder to short, but Wiesen beat the throw home for the walk-off 5-4 victory.

GAME NOTES - GAME ONE
  • DeVita went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
  • Beer finished 1-for-2 with two runs and two RBIs.
  • Oruch also drove home two runs.
  • Junior Santiago Mendez (Potterville, Mich./Lansing Eastern) received a no-decision, allowing three earned runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked three.
  • DiPaolo improved to 3-0 with his scoreless inning of work.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • Gannon is ranked eighth in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Atlantic Regional Poll.
  • Mercyhurst is tabbed fourth in the latest NCBWA Atlantic Regional Poll.
  • Gannon scored first for the 27th time in the opening 32 games.
  • DeVita recorded his 11th multiple-hit game of the season.
  • Beer and Oruch produced their eighth and seventh multiple-RBI performances of the campaign, respectively.
  • DiPaolo has not given up a run during his last seven outings or an earned run during his last eight appearances while lowering his earned run average to a 0.60 mark. The only earned run he has allowed this season came March 5 against Pace at the Russ-Matt Invitational in Winter Haven, Florida.
  • Gannon snapped a 12-game losing streak against Mercyhurst.
  • The Golden Knights defeated the Lakers for the first time since sweeping a home doubleheader on April 26, 2013.

HOW IT HAPPENED - GAME TWO
  • After two scoreless innings, Mercyhurst got the scoring started with a pair of runs during the top of the third inning.
  • The Lakers added three more runs during the top of the fourth inning.
  • The game was eventually suspended in the top of the fifth inning with two outs due to snow and field conditions.

GAME NOTES - GAME TWO
  • Beer, Benack and junior Nick Restuccia (Ormond Beach, Fla./Father Lopez Catholic) recorded hits for Gannon.
  • Junior Joey Colosi (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Falls) received the starting nod on the mound, logging 3 1/3 innings.
  • DiPaolo was in the midst of a scoreless 1 1/3 innings of relief work when snow halted the game.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • Gannon is ranked eighth in the latest NCBWA Atlantic Regional Poll while Mercyhurst is tabbed fourth.
  • Snow began falling during the third inning and had covered the field by the fifth.
  • No date has been announced to resume Sunday's suspended contest.

UP NEXT
  • Gannon returns to action Friday, April 15 at Slippery Rock.
  • The PSAC Western Division doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m.
  • Slippery Rock swept a four-game series from Gannon last season after the two programs split four-game series during the previous three seasons.
  • The Rock won an elimination game at the 2012 PSAC Tournament, before Gannon returned the favor at the 2013 conference tournament.
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Players Mentioned

Charles Benack

#4 Charles Benack

UTL
5' 10"
Sophomore
L/R
Mark DeVita

#2 Mark DeVita

INF
5' 11"
Redshirt Senior
R/R
Nico DiPaolo

#15 Nico DiPaolo

P
5' 11"
Junior
R/R
Matt Oruch

#10 Matt Oruch

OF
6' 0"
Sophomore
R/R
Nick Restuccia

#14 Nick Restuccia

INF
6' 0"
Junior
R/R
Jared Wiesen

#20 Jared Wiesen

UTL
5' 11"
Senior
R/R
Chris Beer

#18 Chris Beer

INF
6' 0"
Senior
R/R
Joey Colosi

#34 Joey Colosi

P
6' 2"
Junior
L/L
Santiago Mendez

#27 Santiago Mendez

P
6' 2"
Junior
R/R

Players Mentioned

Charles Benack

#4 Charles Benack

5' 10"
Sophomore
L/R
UTL
Mark DeVita

#2 Mark DeVita

5' 11"
Redshirt Senior
R/R
INF
Nico DiPaolo

#15 Nico DiPaolo

5' 11"
Junior
R/R
P
Matt Oruch

#10 Matt Oruch

6' 0"
Sophomore
R/R
OF
Nick Restuccia

#14 Nick Restuccia

6' 0"
Junior
R/R
INF
Jared Wiesen

#20 Jared Wiesen

5' 11"
Senior
R/R
UTL
Chris Beer

#18 Chris Beer

6' 0"
Senior
R/R
INF
Joey Colosi

#34 Joey Colosi

6' 2"
Junior
L/L
P
Santiago Mendez

#27 Santiago Mendez

6' 2"
Junior
R/R
P