Mercer University
Bethune-Cookman
Baseball Holds Off Bethune-Cookman in Series-Opening Win, 3-2
2/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Mercer University baseball team used strong pitching performances from Ryan Askew and Dimitri Kourtis and timely hitting to win its series opener with Bethune-Cookman, 3-2, on Friday night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
"Ryan Askew was phenomenal tonight," said head coach Craig Gibson. "We faced one of the best pitchers we've seen all year, but he was up for the task and had another great performance."
Askew, who opened the game with three perfect innings on the mound, surrendered just two unearned runs in 6.2 innings of work. The sophomore right-hander limited Bethune-Cookman (0-5) to two hits while striking out six on his way to his second victory in as many starts.
Mercer (2-4) took advantage of the strong pitching performance, providing just enough offense to snap a four-game slide.
The Bears broke open a scoreless tie in the fifth on Charlie Madden's RBI single, before erasing a 2-1 deficit with a pair of clutch runs in the top of the seventh.
Trey Truitt kicked off the inning with a double in the gap, before moving to third on Kyle Lewis' single left field. Truitt would later score on Madden's groundout to tie the game, while Lewis made it home for what turned out to be the game-winning run off a wild pitch from Bethune-Cookman pitcher Clint Clymer.
"Our hitters did a nice job of coming through with some key runs late in the game and Dimitri Kourtis closed the door for a good win to start the weekend," added Gibson.
Kourtis, who pitched four scoreless innings against Virginia Tech, picked up where he left off last weekend. The senior hurler worked out a bases-loaded jam in the seventh, before tossing two more scoreless innings for his first save of the season. The Alpharetta, Ga. native is now three saves shy of tying Andrew Urena's career saves mark with the 17th save of his career.
Lewis paced the Bears' offense with four of the team's 10 hits on the night, recording his fourth multi-hit performance of the year. Danny Edgeworth added a season-best two hits, while Truitt finished with a team-best two runs scored.
Mercer will be back in action tomorrow, as it continues the three-game series with Bethune-Cookman. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
