Mercer University
Kennesaw St.
Lewis' Grand Slam Lifts Mercer Over KSU, 10-7
3/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer University baseball team used a grand slam by Kyle Lewis in the eighth to key a 10-7 victory over Kennesaw State in the series opener on Friday night at Stillwell Stadium.
HOW IT HAPPENED
TOP 1ST – Mercer struck the opening salvo, as Lewis drove a pitch over the wall in right field after a one-out single by Ryan Hagan to put the Bears on top early with a two-run home run.
BOT 1ST – Kennesaw State answered in the home half, as four of the team's first five batters recorded hits. The Owls took advantage of the early hits, tying the game on Jeremy Howell's two-run single before grabbing a one-run advantage, 3-2, on a RBI double down the left field line.
TOP 3RD – The Bears put together back-to-back two-out hits to knot the game in the third, as Danny Edgeworth followed Charlie Madden's single with one of his own to plate Lewis to tie the game at 3-3.
TOP 5TH – Hagan pushed the Orange and Black on top, 4-3, with a solo home run to right field.
BOT 5TH – Kennesaw State knotted the game at 4-4, as a rocket to third base by Grant Williams resulted in a run-scoring infield hit.
TOP 6TH – Mercer once again went back on top, 5-4, as Matt Meeder's single up the middle plated Edgeworth.
BOT 6TH – The Owls grabbed their largest lead of the game, 7-5, thanks to Alex Licqouri's three-run home run to left field.
TOP 7TH – Edgeworth single through the right side to plate his second run of the game, helping Mercer score for the third straight frame while cutting the deficit to one, 7-6.
TOP 8TH – Mercer loaded the bases with just one out for Lewis and the All-American made the Owls pay, smoking a grand slam off the KSU scoreboard in right center to give the Bears their largest lead of the game, 10-7.
KEY TO THE GAME
The Bears came into the game ranked second nationally in home runs and they turned to the long ball once again in the series opener, as each of their three homers gave the lead to Mercer. The Orange and Black got six of their 10 runs from home runs in the game, including five of the final six runs of the game.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Mercer's bats stepped up when they were needed on Friday, and no one came through bigger than Lewis. The All-American used two home runs to drive in a career-high six runs in the contest, including the game's biggest hit. Lewis finished 3-for-5 at the plate with all three hits going for extra bases, while also scoring a career-high four times.
COACH GIBSON'S TAKE
"Hopefully we started a new streak tonight. Ryan didn't have his best stuff tonight, but like I told our young pitchers you can still fight through it and give us four or five good innings. (Conard) Broom did a good job and (Austin) Lord was outstanding as well. Offensively, we had some guys have great nights. Kyle (Lewis) showed why he is one of the best players in the country and he smoked two balls out of the park. Hagan hit one out as well and we were able to put some hits together. When you do that, pitch effectively and play a clean game defensively your chances will be pretty good."
MERCER NOTABLES
- The Bears are now 22-15 all-time against Kennesaw State.
- Mercer eclipsed 10 runs for the eighth time this season and the third time in as many games. The Bears are now 5-2 when accomplishing the feat.
- 11 of the team's 13 hits came from the first five batters in the Bears' lineup, as they finished a combined 11-for-22 with nine RBIs.
- Conard Broom picked up his first collegiate win, giving up three runs on two hits in 2.1 innings of action.
- Austin Lord was credited with his third save of the season, after allowing only one base runner in two innings of work with three strikeouts.
- Hagan added to his team-leading hitting streak, finishing 2-for-3 to push the streak to nine games. He reached base four times for the second straight game, while recording his ninth multiple-hit performance.
- Hagan also tied a career-high with three runs scored, while hitting his fourth home run of the season.
- Edgeworth tied a season-high with three hits on Friday, finishing 3-for-5 at the plate with two RBIs. He now has four multiple-hit efforts and five games with two or more RBIs.
- Madden had his second multiple-hit performance of the year, going 2-for-5 in the dish.
RECORDS UPDATE
Mercer improves to 10-8 on the year, while Kennesaw State slides to 7-11..
UP NEXT
The Bears continue their series with KSU tomorrow afternoon, as the two teams square off at Stillwell Stadium with a 2 p.m. first pitch.
