Mount Union's baseball team (2-0) opened the 2008 campaign by sweeping a doubleheader with Arcadia (PA) on the team's annual spring trip, Sunday, March 9 in Tampa, FL. The Raiders earned a 7-5 come-from-behind victory in the opener and a 5-3 win in the nightcap.

In the opener, Mount Union fell behind 5-0 after two innings before second baseman Michael Almasy drove in the Raiders first run on a sacrifice fly in the top of the third inning. In the fourth, the Raiders rallied for three runs behind a Dave Bogner two-run double. Jon Houston added as sacrifice fly to center cutting the lead 5-4. Then in the sixth, Mount Union struck again for three more runs including the go ahead score on a Grant Sevek two-run homer with two outs. First baseman Cory Slabaugh doubled in the final run of the game.

After a shaky start, pitcher Paul Mariotti settled in shutting out Aracadia the final five innings for a complete game win. Mariotti allowed three runs on five hits while fanning six.

Individually, Slabaugh finished 3-4 with an RBI, Almasy was 2-2 with a run scored, Bogner was 1-1 with two RBI, three runs scored and three walks.

As a team, Mount Union scored seven runs on 10 hits, while Arcadia scored five times on five hits.

In the second game, the Purple Raiders jumped out to an early lead with two runs in the first inning and then added two more in the second for a 4-1 lead. Pitcher Brett Thomas went six strong innings to earn his first win of the season, while Jimmy Enright closed the deal pitching a scoreless seventh inning for the save. Thomas finished the day allowing just two earned runs on eight hits with five strikeouts.

Offensively, Jon Houston was 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Michael Almasy and Andy Warner each added a double, while Grant Sevek had one hit.

Mount Union scored five runs on five hits and one misque. Arcadia had three runs on eight hits and three errors.

Mount Union returns to action tomorrow, March 10 with a double-header with Rhode Island College.