Mercer University
Bradley
Late Rally Falls Short in Baseball's 8-5 Loss to Bradley
3/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer University baseball team rallied with four runs over the final two innings, but it would not be enough in an 8-5 loss to Bradley on Sunday afternoon at Claude Smith Field.
"We got behind early, but we had a great charge late to give us a chance," said head coach Craig Gibson. "Offensively we let a couple bases-loaded opportunities slip away early on, however we battled back and our defense stepped up down the stretch to help the rally. Bradley is good club that got on us early, but thankfully we have some good momentum heading into a big home game against Georgia."
After managing just one hit through the first seven frames, Mercer (11-11) came to life in the eighth with a three-run inning. Kyle Lewis kicked off the rally with his seventh home run of the season, a solo shot to left center. Three batters later the Bears had another four-bagger to left center, as Jose Hernandez hit a two-run blast to pull Mercer within four, 8-4.
Mercer added another score in the ninth on Jackson Ware's solo home run to left field to make it a three-run game, but the Bears were unable to get any closer as the Braves claimed the contest and the series.
Bradley (13-3) outhit Mercer 14-5 in the contest, thanks in large part to a 3-for-4 effort from outfielder Isaac Smith. Hernandez's two RBI paced the Bears, who also saw Lewis reach base for the 13th-straight game and Nate Moorhouse push his hitting streak to seven games.
Dimitri Kourtis was tagged with his first loss of the season, after surrendering three runs in one inning of work before leaving the game with an injury. DJ Johnson, Austin Lord, Ben Lumsden and Grant Papelian helped the rally attempt, after combining to give up just two hits in three scoreless innings to wrap up the game.
The Braves came out swinging to open the game, scoring in each of the first four frames. A large part of the early success came with Bradley's own trio of home runs, as it used three long balls to help take a 6-0 lead.
Mercer got on the board in the bottom of the third, as Matt Meeder doubled to left center to plate Moorhouse and cut the deficit to five, 6-1. However, the Braves pushed their lead to seven, 8-1, with runs in the fourth and sixth.
The Bears will have a quick turnaround, as they welcome in-state foe Georgia to Claude Smith Field on Tuesday, March 17 for the two program's first meeting since Mercer's 4-2 win in Athens in 2011. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
