Mercer University
Savannah St.
Baseball Pulls Away from Savannah State for 12-4 Win
3/22/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Mercer baseball team scored at least one run in every inning but the first to run away from Savannah State for a 12-4 win on Tuesday evening at Grayson Stadium.
The win was Mercer's (16-8) first against Savannah State (12-10) in Savannah since the series began back in 1997.
"Tonight was a good win for us to break the streak we had against those guys and to continue to get back on track offensively," head coach Craig Gibson said. "We have won two in a row now and we will try to carry over this momentum and start to get on a roll starting with our big series this weekend against Kennesaw."
The Tigers jumped on the board first in the bottom of the first with an RBI single by senior Emory Barkley to take an early 1-0 lead.
Mercer responded in the top of the second with a run of its own thanks to an RBI double by freshman Austin Barrett to tie the game at 1-1.
The Bears kept the momentum going in the top of the third, scoring three runs in the frame. An RBI double by junior Jacob Tanis, an RBI single by senior Thomas Carroll and a fielder's choice by freshman Derrick Workman put the Bears out in front, 4-1. Carroll's hit was the 200th of his four-year career in the Orange and Black.
Savannah State kept battling, however, scoring two runs on a double by Barkley in the bottom of the third to pull with one, at 4-3.
Barrett kept his hot hitting going in the top of the fourth when he stroked a solo home run, his second in as many days, to make the score 5-3 in favor of the Bears.
Mercer put the game out of reach with some big extra base hits late. Senior John Moreland hit a two-RBI triple in the top of the sixth and freshman Nate Moorhouse clubbed a solo home run in the top of the seventh to go up 9-4.
The Bears bullpen did the rest from there with the combination of junior Jacob Matthews, senior J.T. Odom and freshman DJ Johnson throwing one scoreless inning apiece to secure the win.
Mercer returns to the diamond on Friday, March 25, when it begins a crucial three-game Atlantic Sun series with in-state rival Kennesaw State. Game one of the series is set for 6 p.m. at Claude Smith Field.
