Baseball Stumbles in Series Opener at Mercer

MACON, Ga. – Mercer erupted for 11 runs in the second inning on Friday evening and never looked back, handing visiting Alcorn a 16-4 defeat Thursday evening in game one of a three-game baseball series housed at OrthoGeorgia Park in Macon, Georgia.
 
Alcorn (2-11) showed early promise, with Rayfield Adams III drawing a leadoff walk and promptly stealing second base in the top of the first, but the Braves were unable to push a run across. From there, Mercer took over.
 
Mercer (12-2) sent 14 batters to the plate in the bottom of the second, pounding Alcorn starter Jacob Wingard and reliever José Cherena for 11 runs on 12 hits. Brant Baughcum doubled home two runs, and Braydon Kersey capped the inning with a two-run homer to right field, putting Mercer ahead 8-0.
 
Alcorn trailed 11-0 after two innings completed.
 
Wingard absorbed the loss, falling to 0-3 after surrendering seven runs (six earned) on six hits in just 1.1 innings of work. A total of six Braves pitchers saw action on the night, as the Purple and Gold bullpen surrendered 16 runs on 16 hits while issuing 10 walks, respectfully.
 
Alcorn's offense showed flashes of life but could never generate any sustained momentum against Mercer starter Garrett Lambert, who earned his first win of the season. Lambert was dominant through four innings, fanning nine Braves while allowing just two hits and one earned run.
 
The Braves scratched across their first run in the third inning when Jaylyn Bennett singled home Adams to trim the deficit to 11-1. Bennett finished the night as Alcorn's most productive bat, going 3-for-4 with an RBI to boot.
 
Mercer answered tacked on three insurance runs in the home-half of the fourth, highlighted by solo home runs from Eli Stephens and Chris Katz, respectively. Stephens homered to right center to lead off the inning, and Katz connected for a two-run shot to left to push the Bears' lead to 14-1.
 
Alcorn responded by plating two runs in the sixth on a Christian Dunn RBI double, as he entered as a relief catcher, and a run that scored on a Mercer error. The Braves then added a final run in the seventh when pinch hitter Derek Patterson doubled home Julian Jarrett to make it 16-4. Jarrett finished his night 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored.
 
Adams drew two walks, stole a base, and scored a run for the Braves. Bennett's 3-for-4 performance and Cooper Harris's stolen base in the fourth inning were also key for Alcorn.
 
The Mercer bats were headlined by Devyn McEachron's perfect 3-for-3 showing at the dish, adding a run and an RBI.
 
The two teams meet back at OrthoGeorgia Park on Saturday for game two of the series beginning at 2 p.m. ET.
 
Follow Alcorn State Sports on Twitter (@BravesSports) for all the latest news and updates. Follow us on Instagram (@AlcornSports) and YouTube (Braves Sports Network) for even further behind-the-scenes action across all Braves Athletics.