UNIVERSITY CENTER – Last season's top two GLIAC teams braved some incredible conditions to open the 2001 league campaign and pitching dominated the action.
     Mercyhurst College won the first game 3-2 and defending champion Saginaw Valley State University came back with a 2-0 win in the nightcap.
     The Cardinals stranded 13 runners in the first game, including 10 in scoring position, and ran themselves out of two golden scoring chances. They had runners in scoring position in every inning.
     Mike Palano (3-3) picked up the win by working out of several jams, including three inning-ending strikeouts. He gave up six hits, three walks and hit two batters in five innings of work, but yielded only one first-inning run. Left-hander Nate Goodrich picked up his first save with two no-hit innings, but walked four and was touched for a run in the bottom of the seventh.
     The Lakers opened the game by getting two runs off senior All-American left-hander Tim Goheen (Proton Station, Ontario). Ben Wiand and Tony Cruz singled and scored on a double by Ryan Nietupski. Mercyhurst added a run in the third on a single by Cruz and a double by Nietupski.
     Junior Jay Scott (Berlington, Ontario/Aldershot) led off the SVSU first inning with his fourth homer of the season.
     Juniors Ryan Wilkinson (Dearborn) and Mike Condon (Utica) walked in the seventh and stole third and second, respectively, to give SVSU the tying runs in scoring position with two outs. A wild pitch by Goodrich produced one run, but he induced a flyout to end the game.
     Goheen had not allowed a run in three previous outings this season and lost a regular season game for the first time in two years. He fell to 1-1, allowing eight hits, but did not walk a batter and struck out four. Goheen picked up his 16th complete game, tying for second on the all-time SVSU list.
     SVSU sophomore right-hander Scott Corby (London, Ontario/AB Lucas) and Laker lefty John Sechler staged a brilliant duel in the night cap, but a daring baserunning maneuver allowed the Cardinals to prevail.
     Condon walked and junior Adam Ruffner (Gibraltar/Carlson) doubled to start the Cardinal fifth. Sophomore Sean Odamura (Mississauga, Ontario/Lorne Park) laid down a beautiful suicide squeeze bunt down the first base line and both runners scored on the play for the game's only runs.
     Corby improved to 3-1, allowing only one hit in six innings. He walked five and struck out eight, including four inning-ending whiffs. He raised his collegiate career record to 9-2.
     Ruffner came on to pitch the seventh and picked up his first save of the season, retiring the side in order with a pair of strikeouts.
     Sechler gave up just four hits and three walks, while striking out three, but fell to 1-2 with the complete-game loss.
     Temperatures never reached 30 degrees and a brisk wind from the west had the wind chill factor in the single digits. The forecast looks bleak for Sunday's scheduled rematch, but the two teams are slated for a twin bill at noon.
     The Cardinals are 8-5 overall, while Mercyhurst is 5-10-1 overall.

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