NCAA Division II lacrosse quarterfinals
Who: No. 1 Mercyhurst (17-0) vs. No. 2 Limestone (16-1)
When: Saturday, 2 p.m.
Where: Tullio Field
Tickets: $10 (adults), $5 (students), 12-under free*
On the air: www.americaonesports.com/static/mercyhurst.html (livestream), www.hurstathletics.com (live statistics)
Information: www.hurstathletics.com
* Gates open at 12:30 p.m.

Players to watch
Mercyhurst – Sr. A Brian Scheetz (25 goals, 40 assists, 65 points), Jr. A Jake McAndrew (35-8-43), Jr. A Brady Heseltine (39-2-41), Sr. M James Chayka (24-13-37), Jr. D Patrick Maloney (31 groundballs, 21 caused turnovers), Jr. G Michael Grace (17-0 record, 7.51 goals-against average, .566 save percentage)
Limestone – Sr. A Riley Loewen (51 goals, 35 assists, 86 points), Sr. A Corey Rich (33-21-54), Sr. MF Zach Cummingss (32-9-41), Sr. FS Jake Ternosky (100 groundballs, 217-334 on faceoffs), Fr. MF Reid Reinholdt (10-22-32, 56 groundballs), Jr. D Glenn Trovato (29 groundballs, 13 caused turnovers)

What to watch
Mercyhurst – The Lakers can advance to the national championship game for the second time in three years and third time since 2007 with a win. … They hold a 4-3 lead in the all-time series with Limestone. But they lost their only two NCAA tournament games against the Saints – 12-4 on May 17, 2003, and 14-12 on May 22, 2004, in Gaffney, S.C. … The Lakers have a NCAA Division II-leading seven wins against ranked teams and nine wins against teams with 10 or more victories this season. … They also have five one-goal wins. … Mercyhurst ranks among the top 10 nationally in scoring offense (sixth at 13.47 goals scored per game), scoring defense (fifth at 6.94 goals per game), faceoff percentage (sixth at .614), scoring margin (fourth at 6.53 goals per game) and assists per game (seventh at 8.0 per game). They face a Saints team that stands among the top 10 in those categories – third in scoring offense (13.88 per game), eighth in scoringZa defense (7.94 per game), third in faceoff percentage (.643), fifth in scoring margin (5.94 per game) and first in assists per game (9.47 per game) – as well as second in groundballs per game (38.65) and 10th in man-up offense (36.5 percent). … The Lakers have scored double-digit goals in 14 straight games. … They have held 16-of-17 opponents below their season scoring average. … Scheetz can add to his school-record 226 points (90 goals, 136 assists). … Chayka and senior MF Zac Reid (22-14-36) were held scoreless in a 10-9 overtime win against Lake Erie in the national quarterfinals last weekend.

Limestone – The Saints have won two national championships (2000 and 2002) and reached the title game seven times. They lost to Dowling 11-10 in the 2012 title game. … They have reached the national playoffs in 14 straight seasons. … The Saints have won nine straight games since their only loss of the season, 7-6 against national semifinalist Le Moyne on March 16 in Baltimore. … They beat Seton Hill 16-13 in the quarterfinals last weekend. … Loewen, the Saints’ all-time leader with 151 career goals, is tied with New York Institute of Technology sophomore A Luke Miller for the national lead with 86 points. NYIT’s season ended last weekend with a quarterfinal loss to Adelphi. … Loewen also ranks third with 5.06 points per game, fourth in goals and sixth with 3.00 goals per game. … He has scored three goals or more nine times and three points or more in all 17 games.

– Victor Fernandes

NCAA Division II final four schedule
Semifinals – Saturday
No. 2 Limestone (16-1) at No. 1 Mercyhurst (17-0), 2 p.m.
No. 3 Le Moyne (16-2) at No. 4 Adelphi (14-2), 4 p.m.
Championship game – May 26
at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.

Shayne Herold

Gannon starting pitcher Shayne Herold was named first-team all-Atlantic Region by both Daktronics and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association today.

Herold, a redshirt senior righthander, finished the regular season with a 9-0 record and 1.09 earned-run average.

He was joined on the NCBWA first team by Mercyhurst relief pitcher Tanner Delahoy, a junior righthander who finished with a 2.20 ERA.

Gannon pitcher Aaron Cox and Mercyhurst pitcher Ben Rawding and shortstop Zak Blair made NCWBA honorable mention.

Gannon’s Jeff Bellanca made the Daktronics second team as a utility player.

David Lough

Former Mercyhurst University baseball standout David Lough has been called up to the major leagues by the Kansas City Royals.

It’s his second trip to the big leagues after spending the end of the 2012 season.

Read more about Lough and his call-up on the Extra Innings blog.

PSAC Tournament updates:

Update 1: Cal leads Mercyhurst 5-3 through in the third inning. Check here for live stats.

Update 2: Mercyhurst is batting in the bottom of the sixth trailing Cal 7-6.

Update 3: Mercyhurst trails Cal 8-6 going into the ninth. Cal up in the top of the inning.

Final score: Mercyhurst loses to Cal 8-6 and is eliminated from the PSAC tourney.

PSAC Tournament updates:

Gannon update 1: Gannon takes a 2-0 lead over Slippery Rock in the first inning on Nico Baldelli’s two-run double.

Gannon update 2: A three-run homer by pitcher Aaron Cox has given Gannon a 6-2 lead over Slippery Rock through five innings.

Gannon update 3: Gannon’s Nico Baldelli is now 4-for-4 with 3 RBIs as the Golden Knights lead 8-2.

Gannon update 4: Gannon’s Nico Baldelli is now 5-for-5 with 4 RBIs as the Golden Knights lead 9-2.

Final score: Gannon stays alive in PSAC tourney with 9-3 win. Nico Baldelli goes 5-for-5 with 4 RBIs.

AMCC Tournament updates:

Update 1: Mount Aloysius 3, La Roche 0, final

Update 2: Penn State Behrend leads Pitt-Greensburg 2-0 going into the bottom of the third.

Update 3: Behrend leads 9-3 through eight innings against Pitt-Greensburg in AMCC tourney opener. John Hlavinka and Vinny Rice each have 3 of Behrend’s 16 hits. Rice and and Matt Bittner have three RBIs apiece.

Final score: Behrend beats Pitt-Greensburg 9-3 AMCC tourney opener. John Hlavinka and Vinny Rice each had 3 of Behrend’s 16 hits. Rice and and Matt Bittner had three RBIs apiece.

Brenna Cosgrove

McDowell graduate Brenna Cosgrove, a junior at Edinboro, was among six area softball players to make the PSAC Western Division all-star team today.

Cosgrove made the team as an outfielder after hitting .370 and starting all 31 Edinboro games.

She was joined by teammate Marissa Pullo, a senior utility player who claimed all-PSAC honors for the fourth straight season.

Gannon led area teams with three selections: freshman outfielder Alexa Archambeault, freshman designated hitter Alyssa Bates and junior at-large pick Kristie Cortazzo.

Mercyhurst junior Courtney Smith also made the team as an at-large selection.

Slippery Rock senior catcher Katie Saluga was named player of the year.

JOHNSTOWN — Brandon Shimo pitched a four-hitter as the Kutztown University baseball team beat Mercyhurst University 6-1 Wednesday in the opening game of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament at Point Stadium.

Mercyhurst (30-19) fell into the losers’ bracket of the double-elimination tournament.

The Lakers scored their only run in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Anthony Tomasone.

Mercyhurst ace Ben Rawding pitched a complete game but took the loss after allowing six earned runs on 12 hits.

The Lakers will play an elimination game Thursday at 11 a.m. against California.

Gannon (23-17) lost 8-5 to East Stroudsburg (29-11) in a game that was delayed more than 4 hours because of lightning.

Knights ace Shayne Herold (9-1) suffered his first loss as East Stroudsburg’s Chris Knott broke a 4-4 tie in the top of the seventh with a two-out, three-run home run off Herold.

Michael Tomko led the Knights, falling a triple short of the cycle and driving in three runs.

Gannon will face the loser of Thursday morning’s game between Slippery Rock and Millersville at 2 p.m.

Check out a tournament preview from today’s Erie Times-News. To follow the tournament, check out the PSAC website.

Aaron Cox

Shayne Herold

Gannon University’s baseball team had one of its best regular seasons ever, and the Golden Knights were rewarded for their efforts today when the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference announced its all-star teams.

Senior pitcher Shayne Herold was named PSAC Western Division pitcher of the year, and pitcher/infielder Aaron Cox was named freshman of the year for Gannon, which tied for the PSAC West title.

Herold also made the PSAC West first team, along with freshman third baseman Jared Wiesen. Second-team honors went to Gannon pitcher Cox, first baseman Jeff Bellanca and outfielder Mike Tomko.

Mercyhurst University, which shared the PSAC West title with Gannon and California, had five honorees. Starting pitcher Ben Rawding made the first team, along with relief pitcher Tanner Delahoy. Second baseman Brendan Cox, shortstop Zak Blair and outfielder Ryan Siegel made the second team.

The PSAC Tournament opens Wednesday in Johnstown.

Jonathan Ouegnin

Mercyhurst University basketball player Jonathan Ouegnin will not win a national college dunk contest being conducted online by hoopsmanifesto.com.

The 6-foot 4-inch junior guard lost to Syracuse’s C.J. Fair in the contest’s semifinals by a voting total of 54 percent to 46 percent. The results of the semifinal round were announced today.

Ouegnin made his spectacular dunk (check out the video below) Feb. 20 during the Lakers’ victory over Gannon.

His dunk was one of 16 entered in the contest’s opening round. He won his first-round matchup against Detroit’s Doug Anderson 58 percent to 42 percent. Ouegnin then won his quarterfinal matchup by a single vote over East Carolina’s Maurice Kemp.

In the other semifinal, Eastern Kentucky’s Marcus Lewis beat Jacksonville’s Daniel Skinner 57 percent to 43 percent.

Again, here’s video of Ouegnin’s dunk:

Rebecca Haener wrapped up a solid senior season and career with the Mercyhurst University tennis 
team recently, helping the Lakers to an NCAA Division II tournament berth.

Rebecca Haener

Haener, a Mercyhurst Prep graduate, went 14-8 as the Lakers’ No. 3 singles player and was 16-6 in doubles with partner Courtney Thompson. Haener finished her career 53-32 in singles and  62-28 in doubles.

Read more on Haener in this week’s On Campus notebook.

Also in this week’s notebook, Villa Maria graduate Amy Boxer helped Thiel College win the first-ever Presidents’ Athletic Conference women’s lacrosse tournament title. Also, former Harbor Creek softball player Lauren Stoczynski proved to be a key contributor as a junior first baseman at Westminster College.

Fairview graduate Brit Claridge, a senior cross country runner at Hobart College, recently won the Coach Ron Fleury Cross Country Award for his overall dedication to his academics, the team and community.

Meanwhile, Gannon unveiled its student-athletes of the year this past week and Penn State Behrend’s men’s soccer team prepared for an upcoming nine-day trip to Spain.

Get all the details in On Campus.

Mercyhurst men’s 
lacrosse team has a lot riding on this weekend’s ECAC Division II Lacrosse League championships.

The Lakers, 14-0 and ranked No. 1 in the USILA’s national ranking, can lock up a top seed in the South Region and home-field advantage through the first two rounds of the NCAA Division II playoffs by winning the ECAC finals at Tullio Field. The Lakers play Wheeling 
Jesuit today in an 11 a.m. semifinal. No. 2 Seton Hill takes on No. 3 Lake Erie today at 2 p.m., with the winners advancing to Sunday’s championship game at noon at Tullio Field.

Check out Victor Fernandes’ preview for the Lakers here.

UPDATE: Mercyhurst beat Wheeling Jesuit 14-3 Friday to advance to Sunday’s ECAC championship game. Jake McAndrew and Brady Heseltine had four goals apiece to pace the Lakers.

UPDATE 2: Mercyhurst (16-0) beat Lake Erie 13-7 Sunday to win the first ECAC title. The Lakers also learned that they will host Lake Erie in the NCAA Division II quarterfinals Saturday at a time to be determined.