The Misericordia University baseball team opened a three-game series with FDU-Florham with a sweep, Saturday.
 
The Cougars used late rallies to break open both games to win 12-5, 7-1.
 
In the opener, Sean Lyons had three hits and two RBI, including a triple.  Kenny Jarema and Sean Boylan had three hits and Steve Weisensee had two hits and two RBI.
 
Billy Kerwien had two hits and Ian McCole allowed two earned runs over five innings to improve to 5-0.
 
The Cougars scored five runs in the top of the seventh.
 
In the nightcap, Brady Madden had two hits and drove in four runs and Jarema had two hits and two RBI.
 
Tyler Holzapfel had two hits and Conor Smith had two RBI.
 
Tom Jacob struck out 10 to earn the complete game win.
 
MU scored three runs in the top of the seventh to improve to 12-6 overall and 4-1 in the MAC Freedom.
 
In game one, the Cougars scored in each of the first innings including taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first.
 
Jarema led off with a single and moved to second when Parker Abate was hit by a pitch.  After a double steal, Weisensee drove in Jarema with an infield single.
 
After FDU tied the score in the bottom of the first, the Cougars went back in front in the top of the second.  Kerwien led off with an infield single and moved up on a sacrifice bunt before coming home on Boylan's single to right center.
 
MU made it 5-1 in the top of the third.  Weisensee reached second base on an error to lead off the inning and stole third.  He came home when Holzapfel reached on an error.  Lyons singled to drive in Holzapfel to make it 4-1.  Kerwien doubled to right field and Smith followed with an RBI-ground out to give the Cougars a 5-1 lead.
 
Abate led off the fourth with a bunt single and stole second and later stole home to make it 6-1.
 
The Devils scored two in the fourth and two in the sixth to get within 6-5, but the Cougars answered with five runs in the top of the seventh to clinch the win.
 
Kyle Melahn pitched a scoreless sixth and Isaac Snyder struck out two in a perfect seventh.
 
Abate drew a one-out walk in the top of the first and advanced to second on Weisensee's single to center.  Madden's two-out single gave MU a 1-0 lead.
 
 
Holzapfel and Lyons singled to open the second and eventually scored on Smith's two-run single to make it 3-0.
 
The Devils scored their lone run in the second, but the Cougars got it back in their next at bat.
 
Jarema led off with a walk and moved up when Abate reached via HBP.  After a sac bunt, Jarema came home on Madden's sacrifice fly to right.
 
The Cougars put the game away in the seventh on Madden's two-run double and an RBI-single by Holzapfel.
 
The Cougars will host the Devils in the series finale, Sunday at 3:00.