BUTLER, Pa. – The Shippensburg University baseball team went toe-to-toe with No. 21 Mercyhurst on Sunday night, grabbing and holding a lead through five innings, but the Lakers scored five runs in the eighth inning to edge the Raiders by an 8-3 score in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament matchup at Kelly Automotive Park.
 
Shippensburg (25-26) scored three runs with two outs in the fourth inning off Mercyhurst (38-10) ace Colin McKee, as sophomore Nick Spangler singled home sophomore Dalton Hoiles and senior Austin Allison slammed a two-run triple into right-center field to plate Spangler and junior Ryan McMillen.
 
McKee, a Mercyhurst senior expected to be drafted next month, retired the first 11 men he faced (seven by strikeout) before SU's fourth-inning rally put the Raiders ahead 3-1. Hoiles doubled with two outs to get things started, while McMillen drew his first of two walks on the night to preface Allison's triple.
 
Senior Marcus Shippey had an excellent start for the Raiders, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits through 5.1 innings. Shippey struck out five in a 106-pitch effort. Both of the runs he allowed prior to the sixth inning came on balls not put in play, as the Lakers scored in the first on a ball that went off the glove of junior catcher Jake Kennedy. In the fifth, Mercyhurst got another on an errant throw toward home plate by Kennedy on a ball that had reached the backstop.
 
Mercyhurst tied the game in the sixth off senior Kyle McClintock, who stymied a Laker rally with an RBI-groundout and a fly out. Coming out of the bullpen for the 14th time this season, McClintock was throwing strikes, fanning the side in the seventh, before having to leave in the eighth inning.
 
With a runner on second base and one out in the eighth, a ball was hit to senior shortstop Mike Marcinko in the hole. Marcinko fielded the ball and one-hopped a throw to third base, but the runner was safe on the fielder's choice to create men on the corners. A deep fly ball to the warning track in the next at-bat was dropped in right field, leading the way to the first of the five go-ahead runs for the Lakers.
 
McClintock suffered the hard-luck loss, allowing four runs (one earned) in his two innings of relief. Junior Mark Curtis and senior Thomas Swartz combined to get the final two outs, with Curtis yielding an unearned run.
 
McKee threw 100 pitches in improving to 10-1 for the season. He allowed three earned runs in a start for just the second time this season, walking four and allowing five hits while striking out nine.
 
A pair of hitting streaks were snapped in Sunday's game. Sophomore Grant Hoover did not strike out, but finished 0-for-4 to end a 10-game hitting streak. Mercyhurst's cleanup hitter, All-PSAC West First Teamer Hank Morrison, went 0-for-4 with a walk and three strikeouts to snap a 24-game hitting streak that dated back to March 26.
 
Shippensburg will face Gannon, the West No. 3 seed, at 12:30 p.m. Monday in an elimination game. Gannon lost to West Chester on Sunday, 5-2.