Mercyhurst Prep's pitching dominates D-10 Class 3A quarterfinal
Ethan Ishimaru sensed it before the game even started.
Hunter Krahe was on today, the Mercyhurst Prep catcher thought. And that was bad news for North East.
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Krahe threw 6 1/3 shutout innings for top-seeded Mercyhurst Prep (17-4) in Tuesday’s 7-0 victory over No. 8 North East (4-12) at Mercyhurst University. Three runs in the fifth inning and three more in the sixth created a comfortable final two outs for Noah Trojanowski, and the Lakers advanced to the District 10 Class 3A semifinals.
“Even when he was warming up, I could tell that (Krahe) was just on today,” said Ishimaru, a junior. “I completely trusted him and I know he trusts me.”
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Ole reliable
Pitching has paced Mercyhurst all year. Krahe headlines its rotation, and on Tuesday the sophomore right-hander struck out seven while scattering two hits and walking none.
“I just thought today I had to come in with confidence, and that’s what I did,” Krahe said. “The results showed.”
Patience is key
Josh Majczyk’s second-inning single plated the only run through four, North East’s Jerek Turlij matching Krahe most of the way. Three walks spelled trouble in the Laker half of the fifth, however, and two sacrifice bunts were key in scoring three more runs an inning later.
“Everyone on the field has played at least two or three years at this point, and everyone knows what their movement and everything is,” Ishimaru said. “Like Hunter, we trust each other 100%.”
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Monday marked Mercyhurst’s third victory over North East this season but the first time the Grapepickers had faced Krahe. The Lakers will meet No. 5 Titusville (8-11) in Friday’s semifinals.
“Our pitching is there and our defense is there; all we need to do is hit,” Krahe said. “The pressure is there but the motivation is at an all-time high and I think we can do it.”
Contact Jeff Uveino at juveino@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @realjuveino.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Mercyhurst Prep baseball shuts out North East in D-10 quarterfinals
