Mercer Breaks Skid with 8-4 Win over Savannah State

Tuesday, April 12

6 pm

Mercer University

Savannah St.

Mercer Breaks Skid with 8-4 Win over Savannah State

4/12/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer baseball team got back into the win column with a hard fought 8-4 victory over a game Savannah State squad on Tuesday evening at Claude Smith Field.

Mercer (23-13) broke a three-game losing streak with the win against a scrappy Savannah State (20-16) team that came into Tuesday's action on a five-game winning streak.

Freshman Brandon Barker got the start and pitched well, allowing only one earned run in three predetermined innings. Junior Jacob Matthews picked up the win for the Bears, his third of the season, after allowing two runs in three innings of relief.

Both team started quickly offensively, scoring a combined five runs over the first three innings of play. A solo home run by senior Thomas Carroll put the Orange and Black in front 3-2 through three.

After the Tigers scrapped together another run thanks to an RBI groundout by senior Matthew Nowacki to tie the game back up, at 3-3, Mercer used a big inning to put the game away. The Bears scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly by senior John Moreland and an RBI double by freshman DJ Johnson to jump back in front, 6-3.

Johnson did the rest from there, holding Savannah State scoreless over the final three innings of the game to pick up his first save of the season.

Johnson also had a solid game at the dish, going 3-for-4 with an RBI. Carroll and freshman Austin Barrett joined Johnson by collecting three hits apiece in the win.

Junior Billy Burns stole two bases in the win, giving him seven stolen bases in his last five games and 21 thefts on the season.

Mercer returns to action this weekend when it travels to the River City to take on UNF in a key Atlantic Sun Conference battle. Game one is scheduled for Friday night at 7 p.m. at Harmon Stadium.