Mercer University
Belmont
Belmont Rallies for 6-5 Win over Mercer
3/1/2014 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Mercer baseball team once again got off to a quick start, but for the second-straight day Belmont pulled off a late-inning rally for a 6-5 comeback win on Saturday afternoon at E.S. Rose Park.
Freshman Charlie Madden had a breakout day as the dish for Mercer (9-2), going 2-for-4 with a run scored and three RBI.
For the second day in a row, it would be Mercer who jumped out to an early lead. Senior Sasha LaGarde started the contest with a lead-off home run, his Atlantic Sun Conference leading sixth of the season, to give the Bears an early 1-0 lead.
The Bears continued to find success against Belmont starter Patrick McGrath with a three-run top of the second inning. An RBI double by senior Austin Barrett and a two-RBI double from Madden pushed the Mercer lead up to 4-0.
Belmont hung around, however, and used an RBI single by Drew Ferguson and a sacrifice fly by Jamie Ritchie to chase Mercer starter Grant Papelian and cut the Bears lead in half, at 4-2.
Papelian went 4.1 innings and allowed the two earned runs on four hits to go along with four strikeouts.
The Bruins, just as they did in game one of the series, erased Mercer's early lead in the bottom of the sixth when William Dodd launched a two-run home run over the wall in left field to make the score 4-4.
Just when it looked like Belmont had all the momentum, Madden shifted things back the Bears way with one swing of the bat in the top of the seventh. The Dunwoody, Ga. native smashed his first collegiate home run, a solo shot, to left center to push Mercer back in front 5-4.
Belmont continued to get the clutch hits in big situations, however, and took the lead for good in the bottom of the eighth. Pinch hitter Nick Egli turned on a 1-0 pitch from freshman reliever Ryan Askew to lift a two-run home run and make the final score 6-5 Bruins.
Mercer concludes its three-game series with Belmont tomorrow afternoon with a 2 p.m. first pitch at E.S Rose Park.
