Mercer University
Akron
Late-Inning Score Lifts Mercer Over Akron, 6-5
2/27/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
MACON, Ga. – Danny Edgeworth's RBI single in the bottom of the eighth helped carry the Mercer University baseball team to its fifth-straight victory, a 6-5 triumph over Akron on Friday night at Claude Smith Field.
Nate Moorhouse led off the top of the eighth with a single up the middle, before advancing to second on Howard Joe's sacrifice bunt. Edgeworth followed with a single to right center, plating Moorhouse to hand the Bears the lead for good.
Dimitri Kourtis blanked the Zips in the ninth for his first win of the year, giving up two hits in a scoreless 2.2 innings on the night.
"I'm really proud of our team for battling back from a 3-0 deficit against a really good ball club," said head coach Craig Gibson. "We had some nice at-bats against a strong pitching staff and made some great situational plays down the stretch. Dimtri (Kourtis) was really good again tonight and helped us hold on for the victory."
Mercer (6-4) reached double-figure hits for the fifth-straight game, as four players had multiple-hit performances to lead the team's tally to 10 on the night. Joe finished 2-for-3 in the game, reaching base for the 10th-straight contest. Kyle Lewis pushed his batting average to .409 with a 2-for-3 showing at the plate, while Edgeworth and Moorhouse combined for four hits and three RBI.
Akron (4-3) fired the game's opening salvo, as Matt LaRocca's three-run shot off Mercer starter Ryan Askew in the top of the second handed the Zips a quick 3-0 advantage.
The Bears got two runs back in the bottom of the fourth, behind a pair of two-out RBI doubles. Moorhouse started the scoring, plating Lewis with a double in the gap. Two batters later, Edgeworth drove in Moorhouse with a shot to the wall, pulling Mercer within one, 3-2, after four innings of play.
Three-straight hits to start the inning had Mercer's offense rolling again in the fifth. Devin Bonin plated Tyler Homer to tie the game, before Charlie Madden's successful suicide squeeze allowed Matt Meeder to cross the plate for a 4-3 advantage.
Akron responded in the sixth, tallying four hits en route to a pair of runs to regain the lead, 5-4. However, the Bears tied the game in the home half on one swing, as Joe blasted his second home run of the season with a solo shot to center field to knot the game, 5-5.
"It was a great game tonight against tough competition," added Gibson. "We are excited to get back at it tomorrow and take on Notre Dame."
The Bears continue play in the Mercer Baseball Classic on Saturday, as they host Notre Dame. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Claude Smith Field.
