After a tough, 5-3, loss in game one of Saturday's PSAC-Opener at Point Stadium, Pitt-Johnstown bounced back with a 6-3 win over 11^th-ranked Mercyhurst University behind Dylan Heid's complete-game, 13-strikeout effort.  The Mountain Cats are 13-7 overall and 1-1 in the PSAC Western Division.
 
In game one, Mercyhurst broke a 3-all tie with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh and held on for the 5-3 victory.
 
Mercyhurst scratched out an unearned run in the top of the first on a stolen base and a Mountain Cat throwing error, but Pitt-Johnstown answered with two in the second.  Dylan Conrad's single up the middle scored Zach Zinn, and Lennox Pugh scored on a two-out passed ball to give the Mountain Cats a 2-1 lead.
 
Ethan Winesburgh's lead-off homer to right field in the Lakers' third and Matthew Schneider's fielder's choice scored Jack Elliott to give the lead back to Mercyhurst.
 
Pitt-Johnstown knotted it in its half of the third on Jack Shirk's solo homerun.
 
It stayed that way until the top of the seventh.  After Mercyhurst was able to work out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the sixth, Elliot's RBI double down the right field line gave the Lakers the lead back and Elliot came around to score on another Pitt-Johnstown throwing error to set the final at 5-3.
 
Pitt-Johnstown was able to load the base in the seventh, but Lucas Folmar was able to get the final out to record his first save of the season.
 
Shirk went 2-for-2 with a solo homer a solo homer, while Scott Thompson had two hits, including a double for Pitt-Johnstown.  Zach Zinn also had two hits for the Mountain Cats.
 
Raymond Watt took the loss in relief of starter Brady Walker.  Watt allowed two runs on four hits over the fina 1 1/3 innings.  Walker pitched the first 5 2/3 innings and held Mercyhurst to three runs (2 earned) on three hits.  Walker struck out 12 and walked four.
 
Alex O'Donnell and Schneider each had two hits for the Lakers.
 
Adam Jeannette picked-up the win in relief after holding Pitt-Johnstown scoreless in 1 1/3 innings.  Christian Young got the no-decision.  Young pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed three runs on eight hits.
 
In the nightcap, Pitt-Johnstown got timely hitting and a strong effort on the mound fro Heid to secure the split with the 6-3 win.
 
Zinn doubled in the Pitt-Johnstown second and came around to score on Pugh's single to right to put the Mountain Cats on top 1-0.
 
Mercyhurst evened it with an unearned run in the top of the third, but Owen McKeever's solo homer off the right field foul pole in the bottom of the frame gave the lead back to Pitt-Johnstown.
 
Tyler Smith added an RBI single in the Pitt-Johnstown fourth to make it 3-1, before O'Donnell drew a bases loaded walk in the fifth to get Mercyhurst to within 3-2.
 
The Mountain Cats got that run right back when Shirk scored from second on a Laker's fielding error, before Thompson's two-run single in the sixth increased it to 6-2.
Heid tossed the complete-game to improve to 4-1.  Heid allowed three runs (2 earned) on just four hits.  He also struck out 14 and walked five.
 
Thompson had two RBI, and Smith added a pair of hits for the Mountain Cats.
 
Pitt-Johnstown will complete the four-game PSAC series against the Lakers on Sunday in Erie, before visiting Indiana (PA) next Friday to open a four-game home-and-home conference series against the Crimson Hawks.