Baseball Falls Short in Game One at Mercer

Box Score

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall baseball (1-4) suffered a road loss to the Mercer Bears (5-7), 3-1, in game one of the series on Friday night in Macon, Ga., as a ninth-inning comeback fell short.

Shortstop Geordon Blanton led off with a walk, but was caught stealing to end the top of the first inning. Herd starter Raymond Pacella gave up a two-out double in the first, but stranded the runner at second to end the inning.

After giving up a leadoff double in the second, Pacella retired the side after hitting a batter with two outs to keep the runners at first second to end the inning.

Marshall left fielder Cyrus Grimes leadoff the third with a single, the first hit for the Herd. However, after right fielder Jordon Billups laid down a sacrifice bunt, he was stranded at second to end the top half of the inning.

Mercer led off the bottom of the fourth with three straight singles. Colby Thomas then hit a would be grand slam, but it turned into a three-RBI single after he was called out for passing the runner at first. Pacella rebounded after giving up another single by retiring the next two batters as Marshall trailed 3-0 after four. Pacella bounced back again in the fifth with his first 1-2-3 inning off the contest.

The Bears led off the bottom of the sixth by getting starting pitcher Garrett Delano on with a throwing error, followed by a sacrifice bunt. Pacella walked the next batter, but then struck out his last batter faced as he made way for Will Dando. Dando walked his first batter, but got the next to ground out to strand the bases loaded and keep the score 3-0.

Second baseman Travis Sankovich recorded a one-out single, but the Herd couldn't move him over as the score remained 3-0 after the top of the seventh. Jeffrey Purnell came on in relief for the Herd in the bottom of the seventh and set down Mercer in order with a pair of strikeouts. Purnell threw another one, two, three inning, recording two more strikeouts, in the bottom of the eighth to keep the deficit at 3-0.

Marshall found its bats in the top of the ninth. After Blanton flied out to start the inning, center fielder Luke Edwards smoked a double down the right-field line and Sankovich followed up with a single to give MU runners at first and third with one out.

First baseman Zach Inskeep singled to right center to put the Herd on the board cutting the deficit to 3-1 and runners at first and second with one out. A Peter Hutzal fly out put runners at the corners with two outs and catcher Ryan Leitch at the plate. Letich struckout to end the contest as the comeback fell short.

UP NEXT
Marshall looks to rebound in game two of the series at Mercer tomorrow, Mar. 12, with first pitch scheduled for Noon.

For all the latest information about Marshall baseball, follow @HerdBaseball on Twitter and @herdbsb on Instagram.

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---HerdZone.com---

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Team Stats

Travis Sankovich

Luke Edwards

Zach Inskeep

Cyrus Grimes

Players Mentioned

Jordon Billups

Geordon Blanton

Will Dando

Luke Edwards

Cyrus Grimes

Peter Hutzal

Zach Inskeep

Ryan Leitch

Raymond Pacella

Jeffrey Purnell

Travis Sankovich

Players Mentioned

Jordon Billups

Geordon Blanton

Will Dando

Luke Edwards

Cyrus Grimes

Peter Hutzal

Zach Inskeep

Ryan Leitch

Raymond Pacella

Jeffrey Purnell

Travis Sankovich

Marshall University Athletics