Mercer University
Campbell
Bears Complete Series Sweep of Campbell
4/2/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – The Mercer baseball team used five home runs and 26 combined hits to sweep its doubleheader with Campbell on Saturday afternoon at Taylor Field.
Mercer (21-9, 8-6 A-Sun) won game one 12-3 and captured a closely contested night cap 9-5.
Freshman DJ Johnson had a huge doubleheader, going 5-for-9 with a triple, three RBI and three runs scored.
In game one, Campbell lit up the scoreboard first in the bottom of the first when junior Josh Holskey collected an RBI groundout to give the Camels an early 1-0 lead.
The Bears knotted the game up at 1-1 in the top of the second when senior Thomas Carroll pulled a solo home run to right field, his fourth of the season.
The home team took the lead right back in the bottom of the third, however, when junior Jimmy Brenneman guided an RBI single up the middle to give Campbell a 2-1 advantage.
Mercer retaliated in the top of the fourth, scoring two runs in the frame to take its first lead of the game. RBI singles by Johnson and freshman Derrick Workman made the score 3-2 in favor of the visitors.
The back-and-forth affair continued in the bottom of the fourth when Campbell tied the game once again. A solo home run by senior Alan Denman knotted the score at 3-3.
With the score 4-3 in the top of the seventh, the Orange and Black put the game away thanks to a big two-out hit by freshman Austin Barrett. The Mims, Fla. native crushed a two-run home run well over the left field fence to extend the Bears lead to 6-3.
Just for good measure, Mercer put up a six spot in the top of the ninth, highlighted by a two-run home run by junior Jacob Tanis, to make the score 12-3 Bears.
Sophomore David Teasley came on in relief of starter Matt McCall in the fifth and pitched 4.1 innings of scoreless relief to pick up the win, his fifth of the season.
Game two started very differently than the first two games of the series with Mercer jumping out to an early lead. An RBI single by Tanis and an RBI double by junior Matthew Black staked the Bears to a 2-0 advantage.
Johnson added to the Mercer lead in the top of the second when he slapped an RBI single up the middle to make the score 3-0 in favor of the visitors.
With the score 4-0, Campbell broke through against Mercer starter Justice French in a big way in the bottom of the third. The Camels scored four runs in the frame, capped by a two-RBI single by junior Kyle Holmstrom, to tie the game up at 4-4.
After back-to-back scoreless innings Mercer jumped back in front, 5-4, in the top of the sixth thanks to a solo home run by Carroll, his second long ball of the day.
Campbell kept fighting, however, using an RBI single by senior Ellis Lowe in the bottom of the sixth to knot the score at 5-5.
The Bears were the beneficiary of another clutch two out hit in the top of the seventh when senior Joe Winker got into the act with an RBI double to put Mercer back in front, 6-5.
The Orange and Black added three insurance runs in the top of the ninth, highlighted by a solo home run to dead center field by Workman, to increase their lead to 9-5.
Junior Jacob Matthews came on in relief of French and threw two scoreless inning of relief to pick up the win. Senior J.T. Odom recorded the final two outs of the game to pick up his second save of the season.
Boyd finished the day with a team-high six hits while Tanis reached base in seven of his 10 at-bats to score five runs in the doubleheader sweep.
Mercer is back in action on Tuesday evening when it travels to Atlanta to take on Georgia State. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Panthersville Field.
