WASHINGTON, Pa. – The West Liberty University baseball team dropped a pair of non-conference games on a chilly Thursday afternoon at Consol Energy Park.

Coach Eric Burkle's Hilltoppers (6-7) opened with a 4-1 loss to California (Pa.) before Mercyhurst broke up a pitcher's duel in the last two frames to pull out a 4-0 win.

Travis Denman's sacrifice fly gave West Liberty a 1-0 lead against California in the top of the first inning but the Vulcans answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the frame and added single tallies in the second and third to account for all the scoring in the game.

A succession of WLU relievers blanked California on just two hits over the final four innings and the Black and Gold had runners in scoring position in five of the last six frames but couldn't push them across the plate.

Josh Nagel had three singles for West Liberty while D.J. Busby added a pair of base knocks. Denman had a single to go along with his sacrifice fly.

The Hilltoppers' Dylan Grosul carried a 1-hit shutout into the seventh inning against Mercyhurst (10-7) before running out of gas but came away with nothing to show for it.

Mercyhurst reached Grosul for two runs in the bottom of the seventh and added two more off Mike Reef in the bottom of the eighth to put the game out of reach.

Reigning Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Week Ben Rawding teamed up with reliever Tanner Delahoy on a 6-hit shutout for the Lakers.

Nagel and Andrew Henry each had a pair of singles for West Liberty.

The Hilltoppers return to West Virginia Conference action on March 20 with a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Davis & Elkins.

BASEBALL

California (Pa.) 4, West Liberty 1

West Liberty 100 000 000 – 1  8  1

California (Pa.) 211 000 000 – 4  8  2

WLU: Smyth lp (2SO, 1W), Graham (3) (3SO, 0W), Knisley (5) (1SO, 0W) and Nagel. Nagel 3S; Busby 2S; Denman S, rbi

Cal: Craig wp (4SO, 1W), Francis (8) (0SO, 0W) and Petty. Gasti 2S; Petty D, rbi; Peters D, rbi

Mercyhurst (Pa.) 4, West Liberty 0

West Liberty 000 000 000 – 0  6  1

Mercyhurst (Pa.) 000 000 22x – 4  5  0

WLU: Grosul lp (2SO, 1W), Reef (7) (1SO, 2W) and Nagel, Entenmann, Jellison. Nagel 2S; Henry 2S

MU: Rawding wp (7SO, 1W), Delahoy (9) (1SO, 0W) and Marinelli, Bowes, McCaw. Yeagley S, 2rbi; Cox S, rbi; Morrison S, rbi