FROSTBURG, Md. – A combination of sophomore Dylan Gerdt's impressive eight innings on the mound and the Marymount (Va.) University baseball team's explosive offense burst them past Penn State University-Harrisburg on Friday, 10-6, to knock the Lions out of the Capital Athletic Conference tournament and move into Saturday for a rematch with third-seeded Salisbury University. 

The rematch was scheduled to be played on Friday at 4 p.m., but due to unfortunate weather in the back end of the Frostburg State University-Wesley College matchup, play has been postponed until Saturday. The Saints will follow up the completion of the Bobcat-Wolverine game that was halted with a 13-13 tie in the bottom of the ninth with one out, which is set to pick back up at 10:30 a.m. 

The bats were hot on Friday for the Saints, registering 13 hits while scoring 10 runs, which started up rather quickly in the first inning. Playing as the visitor on the scoreboard, MU got to set the momentum early with the first at-bat, as leadoff hitter, junior Lorenzo Calderon, stepped in to smack a single to center field to open the game. Junior Brandon Savage moved him over to second on a single of his own to right field, before senior Ryan Blake drove Calderon home with a deep RBI double up the left side. 

Two more runs were drove in during the first at-bat for the Saints, as junior Brandon Orbe reached on a fielder's choice while Savage sprinted home and freshman Nick Smutko singled up the middle to score Orbe for the quick 3-0 advantage. 

In the bottom half, Gerdts took the mound, needing two batters to settle in. By the third batter, the sophomore was ready to go, ending the inning with three-straight fly outs to leave two stranded. 

The Saints scoring was consistent early in the game, rounding the bases in each of the first five innings to push a comfortable advantage. In the second, Blake and Orbe both sent singles into left field to score Calderon and junior Ben Berczek. After Gerdts went three up, three down in the bottom half of the frame, the Saints brought around two more runs in the third. This time it was off the bat of Savage, sending a double down the right-field line to move freshmen Luke Tyree and Conner Hall to home plate standing. 

With a 7-0 lead, the Saints finally surrendered a few runs in the bottom of the third to the Lions, but of course, they answered for those runs the next inning off RBI singles by Hall and Tyree.

By the fifth, a sacrifice fly by Orbe that scored Savage would push a 10-3 lead over PSU, as Gerdts continued to take control on the defensive end. In three-straight innings, fourth through sixth, the sophomore pitcher didn't give up a single hit, allowing the Saints to gain the advantage that they did. 

Gerdts would remain on the mound through the eighth inning, giving up just two runs in the stretch, before junior Scott Robison took the hill for the final inning. Robison put away two early while allowing two to get on with two outs. The Lions would score once in the ninth, but Robison capped off the must-win with a strikeout to send the Saints into the next game of the tournament. 

Gerdts earned the win on the mound, tossing eight innings for five strikeouts and allowing just three earned runs. Robison registered the save in his ninth-inning close for a strikeout and one earned run. 

The Saints will continue in the tournament on Saturday against the Sea Gulls with a rough start of 12 p.m.