Mercer University
Florida A&M
Offensive Fireworks Help Mercer Cruise Past Florida A&M, 22-5
5/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer University baseball team rolled past Florida A&M, 22-5, on Wednesday afternoon at Moore-Kittles Field.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Mercer's offense was hot from the start, plating four runs in the first inning. Blaise Lezynski's RBI single started the rally, before an error allowed Kyle Lewis to cross the plate on the play as well. Danny Edgeworth drove in Lezynski with a single while Jose Hernandez's bases-loaded walk accounted for the Bears' fourth run of the frame.
Florida A&M got a three-run home run from Brian Davis to cut the deficit to one, 4-3, but Mercer's offense kept rolling. Trey Truitt led off the second with a solo home run, before back-to-back homers from Edgeworth and Ryan Hagan keyed a six-run third that also included RBIs from Matt Meeder and Lezynski for an 11-3 advantage.
The Bears added three more runs in the fourth on a two-run single from Meeder and a RBI on a bases-loaded walk by Truitt for a 14-3 lead. Jose Hernandez's two-run homer in the fifth pushed the lead to 16-3, before Meeder's two-run homer keyed a six-run sixth inning for a 22-3 advantage.
The Rattlers scored a run in both the sixth and seventh innings to round out the scoring.
KEY TO THE GAME
Mercer's offense was on fire from the start, scoring a run in each of the first six innings en route to a season-high 22 runs and 18 hits. The Bears scored six runs in two different frames, while tying a season-best with five home runs on the afternoon.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Meeder paced the high-scoring attack with a 3-for-4 effort and career-high five RBIs. The junior shortstop hit his third home run of the season and pushed his number of total bases this series to 11.
NOTABLES
- Mercer defeated Florida A&M for the 26th time in the last 30 meetings.
- The Orange and Black have now scored five or more runs in an inning 16 times in 2016.
- The Bears reached double-figure hits for the 28th time this season, finishing with a season-high 18 on the afternoon. They are now 21-7 when reaching the mark.
- Mercer now has 81 home runs on the season, the program's highest mark since hitting 90 during the 2010 campaign.
- The Orange and Black eclipsed double-digit runs for the 16th time this season, improving to 14-2 when accomplishing the feat.
- Josh Knies limited the Rattlers to three hits over three innings of action to record his third win of the year.
- The Bears also got a scoreless relief outing from Austin Cox.
- Truitt notched his 22nd multiple-hit performance and 12th game with two or more RBIs, after going 2-for-4 with three runs and his 14th homer of the year.
- Lezynski matched a season-high with three hits while also driving in three runs. He recorded his eighth multiple-hit outing and fourth multiple-RBI game.
- Charlie Madden scored a team-high four runs, while recording his 10th multiple-hit effort.
- Edgeworth reached base in four of his five trips to the plate, finishing 2-for-3 with two HBPs, three RBIs and his 10th homer of the year. He now has 12 games with multiple hits and RBIs.
- Hagan tied Lezynski and Meeder with a team-high three hits. He finished 3-for-4 with three runs and his sixth home run. He now has 24 contests with multiple hits and 10 contests with multiple RBIs.
- Hernandez hit his sixth jack of the season en route to a career-high four RBIs. He finished 1-for-3 with a pair of walks.
RECORDS UPDATE
Mercer improves to 31-19 overall, while Florida A&M drops to 27-19 on the year.
UP NEXT
The Bears continue their eight-game road trip this weekend, as they head to Indianapolis for a three-game series at Butler. The series kicks off on Friday, May 13, at 3 p.m.
