Box Score
ERIE, Pa. -- Notre Dame ceded a 7-0 lead to Mercyhurst (Pa.) in an eventual 7-1 loss to the Lakers on Tuesday.

Mercyhurst (15-10) sent 13 men to the plate in a seven-run first inning, and Laker pitching would hold NDC to just four hits on a cold, windswept afternoon in Erie, Pa. Right-hander Tyler DeCrapio was superb in relief, coming on for starter Bryan Pyper to pitch 7-1/3 scoreless innings. Designated hitter Austin Creer accounted for half of Notre Dame's hits -- he went 2-for-4.

In the bottom of the first, MU starter Braedon Pennington was staked to the 7-0 lead when the Lakers turned three walks and six singles into seven runs. The Falcons (10-15) committed an error, one of three NDC errors in the game, in that seven-run frame.

Notre Dame countered with one run in the top of the second; after that the pitching for both teams held sway and no more runs crossed the plate. The Falcons scored their lone run when Creer singled to lead off the second. After a pair of walks, he was plated on a ground ball off the bat of Tanner Dovsek.

Pennington then had an easy third before wriggling out of a jam in the fourth. The Mercyhurst bullpen took over in the fifth, with four Laker relievers combining to toss five scoreless innings the rest of the way. Over those five frames, NDC batters managed just one base runner while striking out six times.

DeCrapio matched the Laker bullpen by allowing just four hits over his seven-plus innings. He induced 11 groundball outs in lowering his season ERA to 1.35. Pyper's line included five hits and three walks leading to seven runs (four earned) in two-thirds of an inning.

Laker hitters went 7-of-14 with runners in scoring position, while the Falcons went 0-for-9 in such situations. The NDC offense has now produced just eight runs over its last five games.

The meeting on a windy, 37-degree afternoon marked the first of two this season between the Falcons and Lakers. The two are slated to do battle in Erie again next Monday (April 1).