DALLAS, Pa.—Eastern University Baseball fell 10-5 on Friday against the Misericordia University Cougars who are second in the conference standings this season and are ranked No. 15 nationally.

The Eagles trailed by just one run going into the bottom of the eighth, but Misericordia exploded for six runs in that frame and ran away with the game.

Eastern's two, three and four batters, Ryan McMenamin, Timmy Gorton and Joe Grato, each posted two hits. That trio leads the Eagles with multi-hit games this season. Gorton and Grato each now have 10 multi-hit games while McMenamin has nine. First-year catcher Zach Quast kept turning the Eagles' lineup over by hitting 3-for-4 in the nine spot.

The Eagles out-hit Misericordia 10-8, but the Eagles' pitching issued 13 free passes. Bryan Sztukowski took the loss after five innings. He only allowed three runs and struck out three batters. Through the first seven innings, Misericordia only had three hits.

Eastern took a 2-0 lead in the first inning off a Gorton RBI-double down the left field line. Eric Rossi then pulled a liner through the gap between first and second to plate Gorton.

Misericordia scored one in the bottom of the inning. In the second, Sztukowski got in a bases-loaded, no-out jam. The Eagles defense proceeded to throw out two runners at the plate, but the Cougars scored a run on a fielder's choice and then on a double to take the lead.

Eastern's offense was silent over the next six innings until Timmy Gorton hit an RBI double in the eighth.

The wheels fell off for the Eagles in the eighth as Misericordia rallied for six runs on five hits. The Cougars may have been able to do more damage but left the bases loaded.

McMenamin knocked in two runs with a single in the ninth, but it wasn't enough for the Eagles.

Eastern falls to 6-8 in the Freedom Conference while Misericordia bumps up to 8-3.

Eastern is playing finally playing its first official three-game series of the season. Eastern hosts Misericordia starting at noon Saturday.

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