Box Score AVON, Ohio – The Notre Dame Falcons had their 2016 home opener spoiled by No. 16 Mercyhurst on Friday afternoon, as the Falcons dropped a 9-0 decision to the Lakers at All Pro Freight Stadium.
For the Falcons (4-8) the loss was their fifth in a row, but it came against another very good team. All five losses on the losing streak have come against teams that are either nationally or regionally ranked. No. 16 Mercyhurst (10-3) extended their winning streak to seven games with the victory.
The matchup featured two of the finest starting pitchers in the Atlantic Region, in Colin McKee (3-0) and
Jake Welch (1-2). The two starting pitchers performed very well in the early stages of the contest, with both teams posting goose eggs for the first three innings of action.
The Lakers then opened up a 4-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning, and never looked back, as they scored in the next three innings as well.
The four-run fourth inning rally began on Daniel Elliot's RBI single to score Austin Alonge, and two batters later, Cameron Balego belted a two-run double into the left field corner. Balego scored the final run of the inning on a sacrifice fly from Sabatino DiNardo.
Mercyhurst scored single runs in the fifth and sixth to take a 6-0 advantage, before they plated a trio of runs in the top of the seventh inning. Alonge came through again with a RBI single to center, and Chris Gonzalez brought in the game's final runs, on a two-run triple to left center.
McKee was fantastic, tossing seven scoreless innings of three hit ball and struck out 11 in the process. Welch took the loss after allowing six runs on eight hits and he fanned three along the way.
Troy Findlay was the lone Falcon to hit safely multiple times, as he went 2-for-4 with a pair of base hits.
Ross Barker,
Dominic Lombardo,
Ricky Phillips and
Travis Smetana all hit safely as well, and Smetana has NDC's lone extra base hit, with a double.
The Falcons are back in action on Saturday, March 12, when they square off against the Lakers in a double header at All Pro Freight Stadium in Avon, Ohio. The first pitch in game one is scheduled for Noon.
