Sunday, February 17, 2013

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MACON, Ga. - Three Atlantic Sun Baseball teams ended opening weekend with a bang with Mercer defeating Notre Dame, FGCU grabbing a win vs. St. John's and ETSU claiming a victory vs. Penn State.

The Bears used some early offense and some quality relief pitching late to defeat Big East power Notre Dame 5-4 and take home the Snowbird Baseball Classic Title on Sunday afternoon.

Mercer racked up its second win over a Big East foe and is a perfect 3-0 to start a season for the first time since 2011.

Solid pitching and timely hitting helped guide the FGCU to a 4-0 shutout victory over BIG EAST foe St. John’s.

Improving to 2-0 in the all-time series with St. John’s, the Eagles record moves to 2-1 as it prepares for a three-game road trip at No. 7 Florida in Gainesville, Fla. next weekend. The reigning BIG EAST regular season and tournament champion Red Storm drop to 0-4 on the young season, a year removed from a 2012 Super Regional appearance.

For the second straight season the ETSU baseball team took a series from a Big Ten opponent as the Bucs used a seven-run fifth to defeat Penn State 9-7.

Junior Clinton Freeman continued his hot streak at the plate and followed that up with a save effort in the ninth. Freeman finished the series hitting .800 (8-10) with a double, triple, three home runs, five RBIs, and seven runs scored.

A-Sun baseball continues Monday, February 18th with USC Upstate facing No. 8 Kentucky.

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