Wednesday, April 20, 2011

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer baseball team pushed three runs across in the first inning and never looked back en route to a 6-3 triumph over No. 9 Georgia Tech on Tuesday evening at Claude Smith Field.

The win was Mercer's (25-15) second-straight over the ACC powerhouse and gave the Bears their first season sweep of Georgia Tech (27-11) since 1976.

The win was also the Orange and Black's second triumph over a ranked team this season, marking 2011 as the first year Mercer has won two or more games against ranked teams since the Bears defeated then No. 1 ranked Clemson and Florida back in 2006.

Mercer lit up the scoreboard in the top of the first against Georgia Tech starter Matt Grimes to the tune of three early runs. An RBI groundout by junior Jacob Tanis and a two-out two-RBI double by senior John Moreland gave the Bears an early 3-0 lead.

Mercer starter Matt McCall responded to the early support, allowing only three hits while cruising through the first three innings on a limited pitch count.

Things got dicey for McCall and the Bears in the top of the fourth when Georgia Tech pushed across a run and had the bases loaded with no outs. Sophomore David Teasley came on in relief of McCall and allowed only one more run on a sacrifice fly before working out of the jam and keeping the Bears in front by a score of 3-2.

Mercer responded in the bottom of the fifth, however, thanks to some more clutch two-out hitting. A pair of two-out RBI doubles by Tanis and freshman Austin Barrett, coupled with an unearned run due to a throwing error, saw Mercer increase it lead by a 6-2 margin.