Black Clinches Fall World Series with 5-4 Win

MACON, Ga. – An RBI single by sophomore Travis Benn in the bottom of the seventh inning helped the Mercer Black team earn a 5-4 Fall World Series clinching win over the Orange team on Friday evening at Claude Smith Field.

Game three pitted two freshman hurlers against each other, with DJ Johnson representing the Orange team and Brandon Barker throwing for the Black team.

The Black team jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first off Johnson thanks to junior third baseman Jacob Tanis. Tanis clubbed a two-run home run in the bottom of the first, the first long ball of the series for either squad, to put the Black team up 2-0.

The Orange team answered in the top of the third, rallying for two runs in the frame to tie the game up at 2-2. Freshman Derrick Workman hit an RBI groundout and Johnson sliced an RBI single to left off Barker to knot the game up.

That is the way the game would stay until the bottom of the fifth, when the Black team retook the lead. Junior Jason Butts and Benn hit back-to-back RBI singles to put the Black team back in front, 4-2.

That would also signify the end of the day for Johnson whose final line was 4.2 innings, four earned runs on six hits and six strikeouts.

The Orange team kept fighting back, however, using another two-run rally in the top of the sixth to knock Barker out of the contest and tie the game up once again. A sacrifice fly by senior Thomas Carroll and a bases loaded walk by junior Matt Black off reliever J.T Odom made the score 4-4.

Barker ended up going 5.0 innings and allowed four earned runs on just three hits while striking out five.

In the end, however it would be the Black team who prevailed in the thrilling back-and-forth affair thanks to Benn’s RBI single in the seventh off junior Jacob Matthews.

The series will conclude with game four to be played at noon tomorrow and game five which will start at 2 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.