The 16th-ranked Misericordia University baseball team withstood a ninth-inning push to defeat #12 Kean, 8-5, in their non-conference game between nationally-ranked teams, Tuesday afternoon at Tambur Field.
 
Brian Korchok led the MU offense with three hits and three RBI while Brock Bollinger had a pair of RBI on three hits and stole two bases.
 
Evan Wittig picked up the win and advanced to 4-2 on the season, striking out four batters through 5.2 relief innings.
 
Misericordia took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a Bollinger single up the middle that scored Jack Regenye from second base. Korchok doubled the lead with a single that split the gap in right-center, driving home Bollinger.
 
In the bottom of the second, Regenye ripped a single up the middle to score Jared Hoffman from second. Drew Van Horn came around to score on a throwing error on the play as the hosts took a 4-0 lead.
 
MU tacked on a fifth run when Bollinger singled to left, scoring Regenye from second. 
 
Kean got a run back in the top of the third, cutting the deficit to four.
 
Misericordia responded in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single by Regenye, scoring Gabe Bunn from second. Later in the inning, Korchok laced a ball through the right side of the infield to bring home Brooks Kanwisher and Bollinger, expanding the lead to 8-1.
 
A seventh-inning leadoff home run by Kean brought the visitors within six runs. On the following at-bat, Shay Gustafson made a spectacular diving catch in right field to rob Kean of a base hit. Wittig struck out two more batters to get out of the inning without further damage. 
 
Kean put up three more runs in their last at-bat of the afternoon, however Owen Daminger was able to strike out a batter with the bases loaded to complete the 8-5 victory for Misericordia.
 
The Cougars hit the road to kick off a three-game MAC Freedom series with DeSales, Friday at 3:30.