Mercer University
Georgia St.
Mercer Miscues Spell 9-4 Loss at Georgia State
4/5/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
DECATUR, Ga. – The Mercer baseball team committed four errors that led to four unearned runs in a 9-4 loss to in-state rival Georgia State on Tuesday evening at Panthersville Field.
The loss for Mercer (21-10) ended its five-game winning streak and was its second defeat at the hands of Georgia State (23-8) this season.
Freshman DJ Johnson continued his hot hitting going 2-for-4 in the contest while junior Jacob Tanis went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in the loss.
The Bears jumped out to an early lead thanks to a pair of runs off Georgia State starter Sam Agnew-Wieland in the top of the first. An RBI single up the middle by Tanis and an RBI groundout by senior Thomas Carroll gave Mercer an early 2-0 advantage.
The Panthers cut Mercer's lead in half, 2-1, when senior Rob Lind hit a solo home run off starter Bronson Gagner just over the right field fence. That would be all for Gagner, as the Lilburn, Ga. native lasted just 1.1 innings and allowed the one earned run on two hits. Sophomore David Teasley came on in relief of Gagner with runners on first and second and retired the next two batters to get out of the jam.
Georgia State pulled ahead in the bottom of the third thanks to a passed ball, a solo home run by senior Ryan Fleming and a sacrifice fly by classmate Carter Sackett made the score 4-2.
With the score 5-2 in the bottom of the fifth, the Panthers added to their lead with a sacrifice fly and an RBI single by senior Bryan Condotta to go ahead by a 7-2 margin.
Mercer tried to work its way back into the game when Johnson ripped an RBI single to right field to pull within four, at 7-3.
The Panthers would have none of it, however, as a pair of relievers held the Bears offense to just one run, a sacrifice fly by junior Blaine Matthews, the rest of the way to close out the win.
Agnew-Wieland earned the win for Georgia State after allowing three earned runs on five hits in five innings pitched.
Mercer is back in action when it travels to Statesboro for a non-conference contest against Georgia Southern. Game time is set for 6 p.m. at J.I. Clements Stadium.
