Kyle Cox
Joe Mattis
Junior Kyle Cox recorded three of Gannon's seven hits during Friday's doubleheader at Mercyhurst,
5
Gannon GAN 16-19, 6-11 PSAC-W
6
Winner Mercyhurst MER 29-2, 16-1 PSAC-W
Gannon GAN
16-19, 6-11 PSAC-W
5
Final
6
Mercyhurst MER
29-2, 16-1 PSAC-W
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Gannon GAN 2 0 0 0 2 1 0 5 4 0
Mercyhurst MER 0 2 0 0 3 0 1 6 7 4

W: Jamie Lauria (0-0) L: DiPaolo, Nico (0-0)

0
Gannon GAN 16-20, 6-12 PSAC-W
5
Winner Mercyhurst MER 30-2, 17-1 PSAC-W
Gannon GAN
16-20, 6-12 PSAC-W
0
Final
5
Mercyhurst MER
30-2, 17-1 PSAC-W
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Gannon GAN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
Mercyhurst MER 0 0 4 0 1 0 X 5 8 0

W: Russell Lamovec (0-0) L: Jackson, Aaron (0-0)

Next Game:

Mercyhurst University

4/22/2017 | 1:00 PM

Next Game

Full Schedule
Apr. 22 (Sat) / 1:00 PM
 Mercyhurst University

Game Recap: Baseball | | Dan Teliski, Assistant Director of Athletics for Media Relations

Gannon Baseball Team Falls Twice at Top-Ranked Mercyhurst

THE RUNDOWN
  • Game One Score: at No. 1 Mercyhurst 6, Gannon 5
  • Game Two Score: at No. 1 Mercyhurst 5, Gannon 0
  • Records: Gannon (16-20, 6-12 PSAC West), Mercyhurst (30-2, 17-1 PSAC West)
  • Location: Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst Baseball Field
  • The Short Story: The top-ranked Mercyhurst baseball team rallied for a 6-5 walk-off victory during the opener, before completing a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) doubleheader sweep with a 5-0 shutout in the nightcap Friday afternoon at the Mercyhurst Baseball Field.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
HOW IT HAPPENED - GAME ONE
  • Gannon struck first with two-runs during its first at-bat. Junior Charles Benack (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) and redshirt sophomore Nate Cardy (Franklin, Pa./Franklin) started the rally with walks. Junior Kyle Cox (Dorchester, N.J./Millville) pushed Benack across with a double down the right field line for the contest's first run. Cardy then doubled the advantage after scoring on a fielding error.
  • Mercyhurst countered with the tying runs during the bottom of the second inning.
  • After a pair of scoreless innings, Gannon jumped back in front with a pair of runs during the top of the fifth inning. The Golden Knights loaded the bases with an error and two walks. Cox cleared junior Matt Oruch (Blue Bell, Pa./Wissahickon) and senior Andrew Wagner (Akron, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) off the bases with a two-run single to center field.
  • Mercyhurst wasted little time responding, erupting for three runs during the bottom of the frame to forge ahead 5-4.
  • Gannon created the game's third tie during the top of the sixth inning. Junior Gregory Nicolia (Grand Island, N.Y./Grand Island) led off with a double to right field, moved to third on Oruch's bunt single and scored the tying run on a two-out passed ball.
  • The contest remained tied until the bottom of the seventh inning when a one-out walk scored from first base on Dan Popio's walk-off double to left center field.

GAME NOTES - GAME ONE
  • Cox recorded two of Gannon's four hits, finishing 2-for-4 with three RBIs.
  • Senior Santiago Mendez (Potterville, Mich./Lansing Eastern) went 4 1/3 innings as Gannon's starting pitcher, striking out four.
  • Redshirt junior Ryan Vargo (Lorain, Ohio/Clearview) pitched a scoreless inning with one strikeout.
  • Junior Joey Colosi (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Falls) followed 2/3 of a scoreless inning, recording both outs via the strikeout.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • Mercyhurst is tabbed No. 1 in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Top 20 Poll and NCBWA Atlantic Region Poll.
  • Gannon is listed among others receiving votes in the latest NCBWA Atlantic Region Poll.
  • Senior Nico DiPaolo (Bridgeville, Pa./Bishop Canevin) tied Matt Tobin (2012-15) for sixth place all-time at Gannon since 2000 with his 39th career appearance.
  • Cox's three RBIs represented a season-high.

HOW IT HAPPENED - GAME TWO
  • After two scoreless innings, Mercyhurst scored all the runs it would need with four during the bottom of the third inning.
  • Gannon's best scoring chance came during the top of the fifth inning when it placed runners on second and third, but was unable to score.
  • Mercyhurst added an insurance run during the bottom of the fifth inning for a 5-0 lead that eventually proved to be the final score.

GAME NOTES - GAME TWO
  • Three different Golden Knights recorded a hit.
  • Redshirt senior Aaron Jackson (Sugar Grove, Pa./Eisenhower) evened his record at 3-3 with four innings of work, allowing four runs on seven hits. He struck out three and walked one.
  • Sophomore Cory Hegedus (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) took care of the final two innings, surrendering one run and one hit. He struck out two and walked one.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • Mercyhurst is tabbed No. 1 in the latest NCBWA Top 20 Poll and Atlantic Region Poll.
  • Gannon is listed among others receiving votes in the latest NCBWA Atlantic Region Poll.
  • Jackson tied current assistant coach Evan Euler (2007-10) for eighth place all-time at Gannon since 2000 with his 38th career appearance.
  • Gannon was shut out for the second time in four games after not being shut out through the first 32 contests of the season.
  • Jackson moved past Aaron Cox (2013-15) and Matt Tobin (2012-15) into third place all-time at Gannon since 2000 with 214 1/3 career innings pitched.

UP NEXT
  • Gannon concludes the four-game series against Mercyhurst Saturday, April 22 at McConnell Family Stadium.
  • The PSAC doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m.
  • Live gameday statistics will be available at http://www.sidearmstats.com/gannon/baseball.
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Players Mentioned

Charles Benack

#4 Charles Benack

UTL
5' 11"
Junior
L/R
Nate Cardy

#35 Nate Cardy

C
6' 1"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/R
Joey Colosi

#34 Joey Colosi

P
6' 2"
Junior
L/L
Kyle Cox

#19 Kyle Cox

P/OF
6' 4"
Junior
R/R
Nico DiPaolo

#15 Nico DiPaolo

P
5' 11"
Senior
R/R
Cory Hegedus

#20 Cory Hegedus

INF
6' 0"
Sophomore
R/R
Aaron Jackson

#28 Aaron Jackson

P
5' 11"
Redshirt Senior
L/R
Santiago Mendez

#27 Santiago Mendez

P
6' 2"
Senior
R/R
Gregory Nicolia

#17 Gregory Nicolia

INF
6' 0"
Junior
L/R
Matt Oruch

#10 Matt Oruch

OF
6' 0"
Junior
R/R

Players Mentioned

Charles Benack

#4 Charles Benack

5' 11"
Junior
L/R
UTL
Nate Cardy

#35 Nate Cardy

6' 1"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/R
C
Joey Colosi

#34 Joey Colosi

6' 2"
Junior
L/L
P
Kyle Cox

#19 Kyle Cox

6' 4"
Junior
R/R
P/OF
Nico DiPaolo

#15 Nico DiPaolo

5' 11"
Senior
R/R
P
Cory Hegedus

#20 Cory Hegedus

6' 0"
Sophomore
R/R
INF
Aaron Jackson

#28 Aaron Jackson

5' 11"
Redshirt Senior
L/R
P
Santiago Mendez

#27 Santiago Mendez

6' 2"
Senior
R/R
P
Gregory Nicolia

#17 Gregory Nicolia

6' 0"
Junior
L/R
INF
Matt Oruch

#10 Matt Oruch

6' 0"
Junior
R/R
OF