West Lawn, PA (May 7, 2018) - The DeSales University baseball team was unable to find the big hit falling to Misericordia University, 4-1 and 5-3, in the MAC Freedom Championship games finished up on Monday evening at Owls Field in West Lawn, PA.

The Bulldogs (29-15) will now be forced to wait exactly one week to see if they are awarded an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament which will be announced next Monday.

DSU had advanced to the championship game with a win on Friday and Saturday and needed just one win on Sunday/Monday to earn the conference title.

On Sunday the Bulldogs trailed 4-1 into the eighth inning vs. the Cougars before the game was suspended until tonight where DSU was unable to mount rally in the final inning and a half forcing the if necessary game.

In the 4-1 loss in the first of the two championship games, DSU managed just five hits and freshman Ian Kacergis was tagged with the loss allowing four runs over 4 1/3 innings pitched.

DeSales took a 1-0 lead in the second game as junior Preston Amato walked to lead off the game and eventually came around to score on a sacrifice fly from sophomore Sergio Diaz.

MU answered with two runs in the bottom of the first inning and solo runs in the third and fourth to take a 4-1 lead.

The Bulldogs battled back scoring once in the sixth on a Cougar error and once more in the seventh on a sacrifice fly from senior Conner Lafferty.

Misericordia got its insurance run in the bottom of the seventh inning and after going quietly in the top of the eighth, DSU put runners on first and third with two outs in the ninth inning, but Lafferty lofted a high fly just shy of the warning track in right field to end the game.

Amato scored twice in the game two loss and senior Konner Schneider took the loss allowing two runs over 1 1/3 innings.  Senior Andrew Schuler was outstanding in relief after just one day of rest following his start on Saturday pitching 4 1/3 allowing just one unearned run, striking out five.