Eisenhower finally has a blemish on its region record.
The Knights (6-9 overall, 4-1 in Region 5) couldn't recover from giving up four-runs in the first inning, and ended up dropping a region game against Mercyhurst Prep, 9-2, on Monday at Werner Park.
"We made mistakes in the first inning, and they capitalized," said Eisenhower coach Jon Vincent.
Article Photos
Times Observer photo by Mitchell Wilston
Eye on the ball
Eisenhower's Kyle Hunt takes a big swing at a pitch during Monday's 9-2 loss to Mercyhurst Prep. See page B-1.
After giving up four runs in the first half of the first inning, the Knights got some runs of their own on the scoreboard when Joe Rutsky crushed a two-RBI triple to make it 4-2.
"We came right back in the bottom of the inning to put some pressure on them," said Vincent, "but after that we just couldn't find a hole."
Luck was not on the Knights' side. Despite only striking out three times in the game, the Knights struggled to get base runners.
"We made great contact the whole game," said Vincent. "We just couldn't find a hole. Their shortstop was phenomenal. He made some plays that probably saved them three or four runs and really made a huge difference in the game. If those balls get through and we score a couple runs, who knows what happens?"
While the Knights' bats sputtered, things didn't go as planned on the mound either.
"Aaron (Jackson) got hurt in the second inning, I think that really took the heart out of us. But, we kept playing, we kept fighting, and no one gave up," said Vincent.
With Jackson out, sophomore Trevor Spicer took the mound, tallying six strikeouts in relief.
"Spicer came in and pitched great," said Vincent, "It was the mistakes. Every time we made a mistake, they scored. That's why they came out on top today."
On Wednesday the Knights will play their final region game of the season against county-rival Youngsville. Despite having a playoff berth locked up, the stakes are high; if the Knights win, they claim a co-region championship with Mercyhurst, who they beat earlier in the year.
"Wednesday will be tough," explained Vincent, "They'll probably throw Cory Craig and it'll be a low-scoring game. We're going to have to fight and dig and claw to get this one. We're in the playoffs regardless but we really want the win so we can at least be co-region champs. The guys deserve it, they've played well this year."
MERCYHURST PREP(9): ab-r-h-rbi: Lehman, ss, 4-1-2-0, Post, 2b, 4-1-1-0, Upperman, 1b, 3-1-0-0, Corritore, rf, 4-2-1-0, Haas, p, 4-2-3-2, Peeble, c, 4-0-0-0, Fugagli, 3b, 4-0-3-1, O'Connell, lf, 3-2-0-0, Nieszwieck, cf, 0-0-0-0. Totals: 30-9-10-3.
EISENHOWER(2): ab-r-h-rbi: Eric Hastings, lf, 3-0-0-0, Aaron Lundmark, c, 3-1-1-0, Aaron Jackson, p-2b, 3-1-1-0, Tyler Hunt, ss, 4-0-2-0, Joe Rutsky, 1b, 3-0-2-2, Ryan Williams, 2b-3b, 3-0-0-0, Shane Arford, rf, 3-0-0-0, Trevor Spicer, 3b-p, 3-0-2-0, Jeb Fedorchuk, cf, 3-0-1-0. Totals: 29-2-9-2.
Mercyhurst Prep 400 211 1 - 9 10
Eisenhower 200 000 0 - 2 9 3
2b- Spicer (E), Fedorchuk (E), Haas (M). 3b- Rutsky (E), Lehman (M). WP- Haas. LP- Jackson.
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Iroquois 7, Youngsville 4
"You can't make mistakes," said Youngsville coach Tom Craig, whose Eagles committed three errors in a Region 5 loss to visiting Iroquois on Monday at Davis Street Field.
Youngsville falls to 3-12 overall and 0-5 in the region, with one last game against Eisenhower on Wednesday.
Craig said there's still something to play for; he said Youngsville is much better than what it's played this season, and can show Eisenhower at Davis Street Field on Wednesday.
On Monday, Broc Horn took the loss but gave up just two earned runs over five innings - Youngsville trailed 6-2 after 4 1/2 innings.
Offensively, the Eagles battled to withing 6-4. Caleb Linkerhof finished with two hits and two RBI in the loss, but Youngsville had just three more hits.
IROQUOIS (7): Quinn cf 2-2-0-0, Yokoff 1b 4-0-0-0, Edinger p 2-3-2-1, Roda 3b 4-1-3-3, Finke ss 4-0-1-2, Carpin 2b 4-0-0-0, Stanford c 4-0-1-0, Kifoo rf 4-0-0-0, Burgos lf 2-1-0-0. Totals 30-7-7-6.
YOUNGSVILLE (4): Marino c 3-0-1-0, McLaughlin rf 4-0-0-0, C. Linkerhof cf 3-1-2-2, Craig ss 3-0-1-1, Horn p 3-1-1-0, Dininny 1b 3-0-0-0, Turner lf 3-0-0-0, J. Linkerhof 2b 0-0-0-0, Lewis dh 3-0-0-0, Henry 3b 2-0-0-0, Hoover ph 0-1-0-0. Totals 27-4-5-3.
Iroquois 201 301 0 - 7 7 1
Youngsville 100 120 0 - 4 5 3
2b-C. Linkerhof (Y), Edinger (I). WP-Edinger. LP-Horn.