MOUNT ST. MARY'S (2-5) vs. NYIT (0-7)
Saturday, March 15, 2014, 12:00 p.m. (DH, nine-inning game followed by a seven-inning game)
Sunday, March 16, 2014, 12:00 p.m. (DH, two seven-inning games)
E.T Straw Family Stadium, Emmitsburg, MD

MOUNT UPDATE:  The Mount dropped a pair of games to Maryland-Eastern Shore on Monday to fall to 2-5 on the season.  UMES rallied for a 5-3 victory in game one before racing out to an 8-0 lead and holding on for an 8-4 win in the nightcap.  Karl Lamont had a strong outing for the Mount in the opening game of the twinbill, allowing two runs (one earned) while striking out seven in seven innings of work.  Austin Bonadio tossed 3.2 innings of scoreless relief in the second game.

ABOUT NYIT:  NYIT enters the weekend series with an 0-7 record after falling to Manhattan, 2-0, on Wednesday.  Matt Diaz allowed a pair of unearned runs while striking out six in 7.2 innings in the game.  The Bears are hitting just .222 as a team over the first seven games of the season.  Joe Daru leads teh squad with a .304 average while Anthony Martelli is hitting .300.  On the mound, Diaz is 0-1 with a 2.79 ERA.

THE ALL-TIME SERIES: The Mount is 0-2 all-time against NYIT, falling to the Bears twice in Florida back in 2009.  NYIT downed the Mount, 11-3, on March 3 and followed with a 9-4 victory two days later.

HOME OPENERS:  The Mountaineers are 9-15-1 in home openers since moving to NCAA Division I in 1989.  Last year, the Mount downed Iona, 10-7, in the home opener on February 15.  THe Mount is 2-9 over its past 11 home openers.

STRONG START FOR HOSTETTER:  Freshman Zach Hostetter was named the NEC Player and Rookie of the Week for the first week of the season after hitting .500 with three doubles and three RBI in the Mount's 2-1 week to start the year.  Hostetter leads the Mount with  .318 average thru seven games.

BEHIND THE PLATE:  Junior Andrew Clow is hitting .316 for the Mount this season while leading the team with a .462 on-base percentage.  Defensively, Clow has thrown out five base stealers thru the first seven games.

RELIEF WORK:  Austin Bonadio has provided the Mount a lift out of the bullpen this year, not allowing a run in eight innings of relief.  Bonadio has struck out nine while holding opponents to a .222 average so far this season.  Nick Riley has been solid out of the pen as well, posting a 1-0 record and a 1.80 ERA in four appearances and five innings pitched.

OFFENSE STRUGGLING:  The Mount has scored just 24 runs over the first seven games of the season (3.29/game) as the team is hiiting .219 on the year.  Since scoring 15 runs while winning the first two games, the Mount has scored just nine runs during the team's five-game losing streak.

UP NEXT:  The Mount hosts Bucknell on Wednesday, March 19, at 3:30 p.m. before visiting Lehigh for a three-game series on March 22-23.