box score
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After a tough loss on Friday, the Mercer baseball squad took the two-day slugfest, 20-15 at John Sessions Stadium. Knotted at 15 a piece in the eighth inning on Saturday rain caused the game to be suspended and the Bears posted five runs in ninth in the resumed game on Sunday to claim the victory over Jacksonville.
The Bears started the slugfest, mounting four consecutive hits to take the early 3-0 lead in the top of the second.
Mike Armstrong led off with a single up the middle.
John Moreland followed, belting a double to right field. Billy Shaughnessy and
John Dortch followed with RBI singles and
Steve Karwatt grounded out to score Shaughnessy. JU took the lead in the bottom of the frame. Three strikeouts amongst five walks, one wild pitch and three RBI singles, gave the Dolphins the 6-3 lead.
Mercer answered in its next at-bat, notching five runs on just two hits.
Tyler Brown singled and a throwing error off a dribbler by Moreland allowed
Tyler McCarty to cross the plate. The Bears then took an 8-6 lead when Dortch belted a grand slam straight down the left field line, 340 feet over the wall to score four.
The Dolphins grabbed one run back in the third as Matt Dobbins sent a solo-shot over the left center wall.
The Bears added two runs on three hits in the fourth.
Matt Crawford, McCarty and Armstrong singled to increase the lead, 10-7. JU added one run in the bottom of the frame on two base hits.
The Mercer bats stayed rolling, adding three hits to score two runs in the fifth. Karwatt led off with a single to left and after a pop-up
Richard Bentley sent a single to the same spot. Brown followed with a two-out two-RBI double to right center and the Bears held the 12-8 advantage.
JU took the lead in the fifth; batting around the order to score seven runs on five hits and capitalized on two Bear errors. Chris Connelly led off with a single to left and scored off a high-chopping infield single by Chuck Opachich. A misplayed fly ball off the bat of Jeremy Gillan allowed two Dolphins to cross the plate and Matt Lopez evened the score with an RBI-single to left field. JU took the lead off an RBI-infield-single by Dobbins. Connelly followed with a two-RBI double to increase the lead to three, 15-12.
The Bears evened the score in the seventh, 15-15. Bentley notched his first home run of the season with a solo-shot in the top of the seventh. With two away, Moreland doubled to drive in Brown and Armstrong, who each tallied singles.
After nearly a 21-hour rain delay, the Bears rallied for five runs on five hits in the top of the ninth. Bentley notched an infield single and advanced to second when the throw to first went out of play. A double over the centerfielder’s head by McCarty plated Bentley. After one out, Armstrong drew an intentional walk and Moreland drew a free pass to load the bases. Shaughnessy followed with a two-RBI single up the middle and Dortch ripped an RBI-single to right. Karwatt beat out the throw on a potential sacrifice bunt to plate Shaughnessy and give Mercer the 20-15 advantage.
With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Opachich doubled to left field but was stranded as the Bears took the 20-15 win.
John Hoelzer (2-4) picked up the win from the mound, allowing just two hits and no runs in the final two innings.
Boone Webster,
Lath Guyer and
Justice French combined for 10 strikeouts in the first seven innings. Tim Brown (2-3) was tagged with the loss.
Nine Bears tallied at least two hits with Dortch going four-for-six, with a career-high six RBI. Bentley, Brown and Armstrong each added three hits.
The decisive game three between Mercer and JU is set for 1:15 p.m. at John Sessions Stadium.