Sean Lyons drove in three runs and Steve Pabon worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth inning to lift the Misericordia University baseball team to a 7-5 win in the series opener against Eastern, Friday at Tambur Field.

Lyons had two hits and Tyler Holzapfel added two hits and two RBI for the Cougars.

Steve Weisensee added a hit and an RBI and Tim Burek scattered five hits over 6.1 innings to earn the win.

Pabon came on with one out in the ninth and induced a game-ending double play to get the save.

Eastern took a 2-0 lead and the Cougars cut the deficit in half with a run in the bottom of the fourth.  Holzapfel was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and Santo Guinta followed with a walk.  One out later, Lyons singled to center to bring in Holzapfel.

The Cougars went in front with a five-run fifth inning.  Kenny Jarema doubled to right center with one out and moved to third on a Brett Davis single.  After Davis stole second, Holzapfel singled up the middle to drive in two runs and give the Cougars a 3-2 lead.  Guinta walked and Jeremy DeCotiis singled to left to load the bases.  Lyons drove in a pair of runs with a single to right and Weisensee made it 6-2 with a squeeze bunt.

Eastern got two back in the sixth and the Cougars tacked on an insurance run in the seventh.  Weisensee beat out an infield single with two down, stole second and scored on Scott Carton's pinch-single up the middle.

The Eagles scored once in the eighth and used a single, an error and a walk to load the bases in the ninth before Pabon entered to extinguish the threat on just pitch.

Misericordia, 20-8 (11-2) will visit Eastern for a doubleheader, Saturday.