HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – Akron pitcher Ross Liersemann pitched a complete-game shutout to give the Zips a 10-0 win over the Thundering Herd on Friday afternoon at University Heights.

Liersemann fanned 12 Marshall batters while allowing two hits in the outing. It also marked his second complete game of the season.

With the loss, Marshall (13-27, 6-10 MAC) drops into a tough position as far as the Mid-American Conference tournament goes while Akron (19-22, 7-4 MAC) holds on to the fifth spot in the conference.

The Herd got off to a rough start, with five of its first six batters striking out. Akron, meanwhile, got its offense started in the second inning when their first run of the game crossed the plate on an RBI single by Shaun Hinssen.

The Zips added runs in the third and fifth innings on solo home runs by Kurt Davidson and Andy Capraruolo. The damage in that inning could have been worse as Marshall starter Chris Koutsavlis (Pittsburgh, PA) was hit by a line drive in the inning to load the bases. Freshman David Slovak (Louisville, KY) was brought in to take the mound and avoided any further damage, getting Marcus Geiselman to hit into an inning-ending double play.

The fortunes of Slovak were not as good in the sixth as Akron tagged him for five runs on five hits in the inning. With one out and the bases loaded, Andy Capraruolo got his second RBI of the game after being hit by a Slovak pitch. Next up was shortstop Brian Kimutis, who lined a double to right to score two runs. After an intentional walk re-loaded the bases, designated hitter Doug McNulty put a single through the right side to bring in the fourth and fifth runs of the inning for the Zips. Slovak would later strike out the final two batters of the inning.

Up 8-0 in the eighth, the Zips put up two more runs on a two-run home run by Marcus Geiselman to make it a 10-0 game. That was more than enough offense for Ross Liersemann, who finished the game sitting seven of the final eight batters to finish off the complete-game shutout.

Marshall was held to only two hits on the day, with Roddy Stieger (Westchester, OH) getting a hit in the third and Adam Frederick (Franklin, PA) recording an infield single in the ninth. Liersemann allowed only one other base runner in the outing, issuing a walk to Aaron Jamieson (Lindsay, Ont.) in the seventh. With the win, Liersemann took his third win of the season, improving to 3-5.

Zip shortstop Brian Kimutis had a stellar day at the plate, registering four hits with two RBI’s. Capraruolo, McNulty and Geiselman also had two RBI’s on the day.

The Herd pitching once again struggled. Chris Koutsavlis went 4 1/3 allowing three runs on 11 hits. He took the loss, falling to 2-6. Slovak went 1 2/3 giving up five runs while Mike Marchyshyn (Markham, Ont.) went the final three inning, giving up two runs on the Geiselman homer.

On Saturday, the Herd will look to end its current six-game losing streak, taking on the Zips at 1 p.m. at University Heights. Chris Cummings (Huntington, WV) will take the mound for Marshall. Saturday will also mark the first ever Alumni Day for the team. All former players are invited back for the game, which will feature a cookout for the alumni after the game.