Mercer Takes 10th Consecutive

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Mercer hit three home runs and scored in seven of the nine innings to defeat UNC Greensboro, 12-8, in the opening game of the Southern Conference series Thursday afternoon at UNCG Baseball Stadium.

Anthony DiSpigna, William Mapes and Collin Price all went deep in the 10^th consecutive victory for the Bears (29-5, 4-0 SoCon).

Price hit a two-run homer in the first inning to start the scoring for the contest. DiSpigna followed with a two-run shot in the top of the third, while Mapes belted a solo home run a frame later.

Mercer was only held scoreless in the second and sixth innings.

The Spartans (14-20, 0-4 SoCon) also plated runs in seven of the nine frames.

The Bears had an 8-7 advantage through seven innings.

Mapes led off the eighth with a walk. Two batters later, Bill Knight hit a double to right center, sending Mapes plateward. Knight scored as well in the stanza on Trevor Austin's sacrifice fly.

Mercer added more insurance runs in the final panel on Knight's two-run double.

UNC Greensboro's last attempt at a comeback featured a Hunter Windish homer in the bottom of the ninth. It marked his second roundtripper of the game.

The Bears racked up 14 hits in the series opener. DiSpigna led the way with a 4 for 4 performance that included a homer and two RBIs. Knight had two hits and three RBIs, while Price was 2 for 4 with a double, a homer and two RBIs. After homering for the third time in five games, Mapes was walked three times in five trips to the plate.

Wesley Franklin (3-0) received the win out of the bullpen for Mercer. He struck out two and allowed one run on two hits in 1.2 innings of work.

Jared Mathewson (3-3) suffered the loss after giving up seven runs on nine hits in five panels.

The series will continue Friday.

Players Mentioned

Trevor Austin

Wesley Franklin

Bill Knight

William Mapes

Collin Price

Footer