SALEM, W.V. – Sophomore Zachary Shertzer and senior Assaf Lowengart homered and the Mansfield University baseball team that put up 14 runs on Sunday, Feb. 27 in a pair of non-conference games on the final day of the Frank Loria Invitational in West Virginia. The Mounties (2-6 overall) fell to Ashland University (4-0 overall), 12-7 in game one before falling, 9-7 to Salem University (2-8 overall) in the nightcap.

A day after scoring 19 runs in a victory over Salem, the Mounties used another 21 hits to score 14 runs in the doubleheader that featured six players with multi-hit games.

In game one, Lowengart led the way with a 3-for-4 showing, scoring and driving in two runs with a home run and double. Senior Brady Mengel tripled and doubled to drive in and score a run, while sophomore Marcus Nales added two hits and Shertzer added two RBI.

Ashland got the scoring going in the top of the first with three runs on five hits, before a solo shot from Lowengart made it 3-1 after one.

The Mounties held Ashland scoreless through the next two innings before erupting for five runs on five hits in the bottom half to take a 6-3 lead. Lowengart, and Mengel doubled to drive in runs, while senior Samuel Freedman and junior Josh Farina also picked up an RBI.

However, Ashland picked up a run in the fourth before plating three in the fifth to retake the lead, 7-6.

Ashland added an insurance run in the seventh, which was countered with a Mountaineer run in the bottom half when Shertzer drove in Mengel to make it 8-7.

Ashland put the game away with a four-run ninth inning before shutting the door to earn the victory.

Sophomore Eric Gustofson was handed the loss, allowing seven runs in four and 2/3 innings, while striking out five. Junior Scott Poulson added three strikeouts in an inning and 2/3 of relief.

Tim Zeller went 4-for-5 with a double, four runs scored and an RBI to lead Ashland on offense. Josh Stover earned the win on the mound.

In game two, Osborne (2-for-5, two RBI) and junior Zach Spray (3-for-5, double) each had multiple hits, while Shertzer homered (two RBI) and Nales and Mengel doubled.

The Mounties knotted the game at one in the top of the third inning when Osborne reached on an error to allow Nales to score.

However, Salem immediately regained the lead in their half of the third, 3-1, with two runs on three hits.

The Mounties cut the lead in half in the top of the fourth when Spray on a Salem error, but Salem got the run back in the fifth to make it 4-2. Osborne drove in a run in the sixth before Spray singled in Freedman for the equalizer in the bottom of the seventh.

The theme continued as Salem plated two more runs in the seventh to regain the lead, before the Mounties cut the deficit to 6-5 in the eighth when Nales drove in Farina with a sacrifice fly.

Salem began to pull away in the bottom of the eighth as they sprayed three hits to push across three runs to take a 9-5 lead.

Shertzer hit his first home run of the season in the bottom of the ninth to keep the Mountaineers' hopes alive, but the Tigers retired the next two hitters to earn the victory.  

Sophomore Ryan King got the start for MU, tossing four and 2/3 innings, allowing four runs and striking out four in the loss. Freshman Austin Lewis and junior Josh Colon allowed five runs in relief.

Alex Harper finished a single short of the cycle and drove in three runs to lead the Tigers' offense.

Jaryd Lund scattered eight hits and was charged with three runs in seven innings to earn the victory on the mound for Salem.

The Mounties travel to Petersburg, Va. next weekend for a four-game series with Virginia State University in non-conference action. The Mounties will play a pair of doubleheaders at noon and 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, March 5 – 6.