The Youngstown State baseball team came up short in 5-1 non-conference loss at Mercyhurst on Tuesday afternoon at the Mercyhurst Baseball Field in Erie, Pa.

On a chilly and blustery day in Erie, the Lakers broke a scoreless tie with a single run in the bottom of the fifth inning before adding four runs of insurance in the home half of the eighth. The Penguins posted a single tally in the top of the ninth for the final margin.

Nathan Beckley went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored while Jay Wrona recorded an RBI double for YSU offensively.

YSU starter Tyler Heflin scattered three hits over three scoreless innings before handing the ball to Harun Pelja, who surrendered one run on three hits over two innings. Gavin Wilms tossed two innings of scoreless relief while Lane Rhodes and Phil Brennaman were each responsible for runs during Mercyhurst's four-run rally in the eighth.

The Lakers broke through for the game's first run in the bottom of the fifth as Casey Smith hit a leadoff single and scored on a two-out RBI single by Eric Chorba.

Mercyhurst pushed across four runs with two outs in the eighth inning to build a 5-0 advantage. A pair of walks and a hit batter loaded the bases before Chirs Juchno greeted Brennaman out of the bullpen with a two-run single to right field. Joe Trivisonno and Chorba followed with back-to-back RBI singles.

Youngstown State plated its only run in the top of the ninth as Beckley hit a leadoff double, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on Wrona's two-out RBI double.

Mercyhurst starter Jaden Fabian did not allow a hit over five scoreless innings to earn the win while Daniel Thomas and Nolan Kirsch each pitched two innings of relief.

YSU will continue its nine-game road stretch on Thursday when it opens a three-game Horizon League series at Milwaukee. First pitch at Franklin Field is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and YSNLive.com.