Portsmouth, Ohio -- The Notre Dame Falcon offense was held to just four runs on eight hits in Saturday's doubleheader against Shawnee State, as the American Mideast Conference's top team bested the Falcons twice to increase their lead atop the AMC. (Gm-1) | (Gm-2)

Notre Dame (28-18, 13-9) has now lost five out of their last seven games, and their chances of hosting the AMC playoffs are fading fast. Shawnee State (25-23, 14-3) has now won three consecutive conference games, and need just one more victory to capture the AMC's regular season crown.

Shawnee State took control from the start in game one, as they routed the Falcons 9-1. The Bears scored in every inning of the contest, and found themselves ahead, 7-0, after four innings of play. Scoring late usually isn't a problem for Notre Dame, but in the first contest on Saturday afternoon, they were only able to scratch one run across in the top of the sixth inning, when #Tony Younis# scored on a wild pitch.

Notre Dame's offense didn't fare much better in game two, though they did get out to a great start, and found themselves ahead 3-0 after the top of the first inning. The Falcons got all of their runs on #Brett Zientarski#'s eighth homer of the year, which set a program record for most homeruns in a single season.

Unfortunately for NDC, they were only able to total three more hits in the game after Zientarski's bomb, and they were held scoreless through the remainder of the contest. Shawnee State scored a pair in the bottom of the first inning and tied the game with a run in the bottom of the second. The Bears took the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth inning when Danny Gesick belted a two-run homer, which was the difference in the contest.

#Tyler DeCrapio# (3-4) took the loss in game one, as the right hander allowed seven runs, five earned on 10 hits over three and two-thirds. #Travis Bondy# (4-1) went the distance for the Falcons in game two, but suffered the loss after he allowed five runs, four earned on seven hits with three strikeouts over six innings.

Zientarski's homerun in the first inning of game two was his eighth of the season, and put him in the Notre Dame record books. The senior from Vermillion, Ohio, now holds the record for most homeruns in a single season, passing Jack Sito, who homered seven times in 2006. Zientarski has now homered in three of his last four games. Younis had two of NDC's eight hits in the twin bill, and has five hits in his last three games, including three doubles and a homerun.

The Falcons will wrap up both the regular season, and their crucial four game American Mideast Conference series at Shawnee State on Sunday, May 2. The first pitch for Sunday's doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Portsmouth, Ohio.