Max Mandler was happy to contribute in such a big way, but the Seton Hill outfielder certainly wasn’t about to accept all the credit.

Mandler hit a go-ahead home run in the seventh inning, and Seton Hill’s bullpen made it stand Friday in a 5-4 victory over IUP in the first game of their NCAA Division II Atlantic Super Regional.

“As a team, together, we did what we needed to do,” said Mandler, a junior and one-half of a brother combination from Upper St. Clair that helps patrol the Seton Hill outfield.

Freshman Owen Mandler is the Griffins’ second-leading hitter. Max Mandler ranks third.

“In the playoffs, it’s all about momentum,” Max Mandler said. “It was awesome to be able to take the momentum. That’s the biggest thing I was thinking about when I hit it. It was nice. I’m grateful for it now. It’s big, but it’s one pitch. There’s (other) guys that also came and did their jobs.”

Game 2 in the best-of-three series is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at Owen J. Dougherty Field in Indiana, followed by a third game, if necessary, at 3 p.m.

The series winner advances to the NCAA World Series beginning June 1 in Cary, N.C.

Mandler lined a pitch from IUP starter Mark Edeburn (7-2) over the left-field fence to lead off the seventh and break a 4-4 tie for Seton Hill (41-15), seeded No. 6 seed in the Atlantic Region.

Andino Vecchiolla (5-3) and Michael Marinchak blanked No. 5 IUP over the final three innings, with Marinchak pitching 1 1/3 hitless innings with three strikeouts in the ninth to earn his fifth save.

“When we called the pitching change,” Max Mandler said, “I went out to center, and (Noah) Sweeney, my brother and I just said there’s no one else we want in the game right now. His attitude and swag on the mound … He’s got so much confidence in himself.”

It is Marinchak’s third postseason save this year.

“That’s tough to go out there in a back-and-forth game and strike out the side in the ninth,” Max Mandler said. “That’s all you can ask for, because that team can hit. They’re a great team, and they’re going to battle (Saturday). They’re not going to roll over, by any means.”

IUP threatened to tie the score again in the eighth, but Marinchak relieved Vecchiolla with two outs and runners on second and third and got Harrison Pontoli to ground out to end the inning.

The senior right-hander from Ligonier Valley then set down the side in order in the ninth, striking out Blaise Zeiders swinging, Ricardo Aponte looking and Elijah Dunn swinging.

“He’s our guy. He’s been our guy all year long,” Seton Hill coach Marc Marizzaldi said. “He probably wants the ball too much, but that’s a good thing. We were able to use him two or three times (at the Atlantic Region Two Tournament at East Stroudsburg) last weekend in very similar situations, and I think that prepared him very well for today.”

Jack Oberdorf had three hits, and Max Mandler and Owen Henne added two each for Seton Hill, which outhit IUP, 10-8.

Peyton Johnson’s three hits led the Crimson Hawks, who lost to Seton Hill for just the second time this season. IUP took 3 of 4 games in the teams’ only regular-season series.

Seton Hill starter Brandon Bergert pitched 4 2/3 innings, giving up four hits and two runs before giving way to Vecchiolla, who yielded four hits and two runs over three innings.

Edeburn, a Peters Township product, pitched seven innings for IUP, giving up eight hits and five runs — four earned — including Mandler’s eighth home run.

“We’d liked to have had this one, but they just outplayed us a little bit,” IUP coach Steve Kline said. “They’re a good team. We’re a good team. It comes down to timely hitting. We didn’t get any of that with two outs. We had the chances.”

IUP (36-16) trailed 4-2 before tying the score in the sixth with a pair of runs.

With one out, Johnson doubled and David Kessler reached on an infield single for the Crimson Hawks. Johnson scored on a wild pitch by Vecchiolla, and Kessler advanced two bases to third when the ball bounced away from Seton Hill catcher Braden Durham.

Kessler scored the tying run on Davin Landers’ sacrifice fly.

Seton Hill reached the Atlantic Super Regional last season but dropped the first two games of a best-of-three series with Millersville.

“Getting the first one is huge,” Marizzaldi said. “We were on the other end of this last year in the super regionals, and that is an uphill climb. That’s a tough thing knowing you’ve got to come back and win two the next day. I guess you could say it puts us in the driver’s seat, but whether we won today or lost, it doesn’t change how we approach (Saturday).”

IUP took a 1-0 lead in the first on Aponte’s RBI groundout.

Seton Hill scored twice in the third on RBI singles by Henne and Oberdorf to take a 2-1 lead.

IUP tied it 2-2 in the fourth on Johnson’s RBI single.

Seton Hill took a 4-2 lead in the sixth when Henne singled and scored on Oberdorf’s double. Matt Frazetta’s base hit to left scored Oberdorf.

Oberdorf, a graduate of Greensburg Salem, raised his team-leading batting average to .354.

“I don’t really think about it too much, mainly because of the trust I have in the guys with me,” he said. “The pitching staff, the coaches, our defense, the other eight guys in the lineup, the guys on the bench who are ready to come in, it makes it really easy to hit. When you have guys around you like that, you really don’t have to worry about it all the time or put extra pressure on yourself because you know there’s other guys who can do it, as well.”

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