ERIE, Pa. - The Notre Dame College baseball team lost 9-8 to No. 8 Mercyhurst on Wednesday afternoon after building a 7-1 lead. The Lakers scored eight runs in the final two innings to improve to 20-5. 

The Falcons (9-22) got things going early with two runs in the top of the first inning after Zach Santoro scored on a wild pitch and Nick Farrell was batted in by Drake May. Mercyhurst scored one in the second before Notre Dame scored one more in the third to make it 3-1.

NDC's big inning came in the fifth as the team scored four runs. May again brought in a runner before Ricky Phillips hit a three-run homer to left field to give the Falcons a 7-1 lead. The Lakers scored two of their own in the bottom of the inning to make it 7-3 after five. 

Mercyhurst tied things 7-7 after a four-run eighth innings, but Notre Dame wasn't going down quietly. In the ninth inning, Santoro once again scored on a wild pitch to give his team an 8-7 lead. Once again, though, the top ten Lakers team bounced back to score two runs in the bottom of the ninth to win 9-8. 

Notre Dame will play a four-game series against Fairmont State on Friday and Saturday, April 13 and 14. Both days' doubleheaders are scheduled to start at 1 and 3 p.m.