NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After falling 4-1 in a game one pitcher’s duel, the Mercer baseball squad rebounded to clinch the series with a 14-9 victory in game two of Saturday’s doubleheader.
In the nightcap, Mercer jumped to an early 3-0 lead in its first at-bat.
Matt Crawford led off with a single through the middle. Billy Shaughnessy and
John Dortch walked to load the bases, allowing
Michael Langley to bring in Crawford with a base hit to right.
Joe Winker followed with a two-RBI hit up the middle to give the Bears the 3-0 lead.
Lipscomb answered in the bottom of the frame, scoring two on a double by Blake Bratcher to pull within one, 3-2. The Bisons took the lead in the fourth. Jorge Gutierrez led off with a home run over the left field fence and Justin Sanders sent a sacrifice fly to right to grab two runs. Ryan Wilkins then plated two with a single to left and Lipscomb added one run off three hits in the fourth to take the 7-3 lead.
The Bears grabbed two runs off three hits in the fifth. Langley led off with a triple to right center. Winker knocked him in with a base hit and
Nick DiMauro plated Winker with a shot to left center, pulling Mercer to within two, 7-5.
Mercer evened the score in the seventh, notching two runs without recording a hit. Winker took one for the team,
Tyler Brown walked and DiMauro reached on a fielder’s choice to load the bases. Shaughnessy walked to bring in Winker and Brown took home on a wild pitch to knot the score at 7-7 before the Bisons turned a double play to end the inning.
Lipscomb plated two runs in the bottom of the frame to take the 9-7 lead. Sanders and Shane Simpkins tallied back-to-back RBI hits to reclaim the lead for the Bisons.
The Bears sent 11 batters to the plate in the eighth and tallied five hits, walked once and got hit twice to grab seven runs and take a commanding 14-9 lead they would not surrender.
Lath Guyer (2-0) earned the win from the hill, tossing one and one-third in relief. Kyle Tognazzini (6-1) was tagged with his first loss, throwing one inning in relief.
Langley led the Bears offensively, going four-for-six. Crawford, Stuart and Dortch each added two hits.
In game one, the Bears tallied just one run and fell 4-1 in the pitcher’s duel at Ken Dugan Field. Lipscomb out-hit Mercer 11-8 and the Bears left nine runners on base in the loss.
Lipscomb got on the board first, grabbing two runs off two hits in the bottom of the first frame to take a lead it would not abandon.
Mercer did not score a run until the top of the seventh. The Bears pulled within one, 2-1. Dortch singled to left field and moved to third on a double off the left field fence by Langley. Crawford then sent a base hit past the shortstop, plating Dortch for the Bears lone run.
The Bisons added two final runs in the bottom of the seventh, increasing their lead to 4-1. Bratcher and Sanders sent back-to-back singles to right field and scored as Shane Simpkins sent a two-RBI double down the left field line.
Brandon McClurg (6-4) went the first six and two-third to earn the win for the Bisons, allowing just one run on six hits. McClurg walked six and struck-out three. Kyle Toggnazzini threw the final two innings to earn his third save of the season. Dan April (3-4) was tagged with the loss for the Bears, tossing the first five innings. April allowed two runs and scattered five hits, while fanning five batters.
Dortch tallied three of the Bears’ eight hits and scored their lone run to lead Mercer from the plate. Shaughnessy added two hits.
The Bears are set to wrap-up their regulars season with a four game homestand. Auburn visits Claude Smith Field on Tuesday, May 13, while Belmont comes to Macon for a three-game series, May 15-16. First pitch on Tuesday is slated for 6 p.m.