Gardner-Webb Wins Series Over Mercer With 11-5 Win In Friday's Opener
May 11, 2007 | Baseball
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C – Jamall Kinard homered twice and
drove in four runs to pace Gardner-Webb's 11-5 win over Mercer in
the opening game of Friday's twinbill, giving GWU a crucial series
victory.
Mercer rebounded with a 6-4 win in the nightcap to avoid the series
sweep, but Gardner-Webb (23-29, 10-14 A-Sun) had done what it
needed to do earlier in the day – and continued its ownership
of Mercer in Boiling Springs (8-1 all-time).
With the series win, Gardner-Webb kept its A-Sun Tournament hopes
alive with one series to go. GWU began the weekend two games behind
No. 6 seed Lipscomb for the final berth, with the Bison set to
tangle with first-place Stetson in Nashville Friday, Saturday and
Sunday. Gardner-Webb owns a tiebreaker over Lipscomb by virtue of
the Bulldogs' series win earlier this year in Boiling Springs.
GWU pounded out 11 hits in the opener, bulling out to an 8-1 lead
by the fourth inning – with Jay McConnell and Kinard belting
solo shots to lead off the second and third innings,
respectively.
Mercer plated four runs in the top of the seventh, with three
unearned runs coming on a three-run home run by Tyler Brown after
two Bears reached on fielding errors – trimming GWU's lead to
8-5 and chasing starter Josh Drewery from the game. Reliever Wes
Cogdill came on to get out of the jam, and Kinard belted a two-run
shot in the bottom of the frame to cap a three-run rally and
account for the final margin.
Cogdill closed out the game for his second save of the season, with
Drewery (3-5) getting the mound win after hurling 6.1 innings and
allowing just two earned runs (six strikeouts).
Kinard (2-for-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 runs), Daniel Cooke (2-for-4, 2
runs, RBI) and Matt Rizzuto (2-for-4, 3 RBI) stayed hot at the
plate to spark the Bulldogs' offense.
Mercer's Webster Boone (6-5) couldn't get out of the third inning,
and took the loss after allowing six earned runs and six hits in
2.1 innings of work.
Mercer collected seven hits, and scored all five runs on home runs
by Eric Renfroe (solo), Josh Thompson (solo) and Brown (2-for-4,
HR, 3 RBI).
GAME TWO
Mercer opened up a five-run lead midway through the game, and held
off a charging bunch of Bulldogs for a 6-4 win in the
nightcap..
Gardner-Webb jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a run in the bottom of
the second, but Mercer ran off six unanswered to lead 6-1 after
five – getting a pair of home runs in the third as part of a
three-run burst.
Starter Ben Campbell lasted just 3.1 innings for GWU, allowing
seven hits and five runs (four earned) in a rough outing. Reliever
Webster Beal calmed the Bear bats down a bit, but the visitors were
still able to add to their lead in the middle innings.
Gardner-Webb struggled at the plate early, collecting just five
singles through the first five innings against surprise Mercer
starter Blake Quarles. Josh Drewery's RBI single in the second
accounted for the Bulldogs' lone run to that point.
GWU gradually made a game of it, getting an RBI knock from Joey
Testa in the sixth, a sacrifice fly from Jay McConnell in the
seventh and had the tying run on second base – and the bases
loaded with two outs in the eighth – after Daniel Cooke took a
Cory Guerrin pitch on the hip to cut the Mercer lead to 6-4.
Devin Campbell retired the Bears in order in the eighth and ninth
with three strikeouts to keep Gardner-Webb in contention, and
Guerrin walked the first batter of the ninth inning to bring the
tying run to the plate.
Guerrin caught a break to recover from his second shaky outing in a
row, however, getting a strikeout – then a controversial,
game-ending double play on an odd batter's interference twin
killing that erased a sure steal by pinch runner Jon Ahearn.
Quarles (1-3) picked up his first win of the season despite being
mysteriously inserted into the starting lineup just moments before
the start of the day's second game. The crafty southpaw hurled 5.2
innings and scattered six hits – allowing just two Bulldog
runs. Setup man Josh Lowey pitched 2.0 innings of relief, but
allowed two runs to get GWU back into the game. Gearrin walked two
batters and fanned two in 1.1 innings of work to pick up his 12th
save of the year.
Campbell (6-5) took the loss for GWU, snapping a streak of
two-straight league wins. Webster Beal worked 3.2 innings and
didn't allow an earned run to cross, and Devin Campbell – the
Bulldogs' starting quarterback on the gridiron – was dominant
for 2.0 innings to finish the game.
Cooke went 2-for-4 at the plate to pace Gardner-Webb's seven hit
attack on offense, and raised his team-leading batting average to
.345 with a fine weekend at the plate. Rizzuto went 1-for-4 with a
walk and his ninth and 10th stolen bases of the year for the
‘Dogs as well.
Billy Shaughnessy went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBI to
pace Mercer's 11 hit finale. Josh Thompson and Eric Renfroe also
had a pair of hits for the Bears, and John Dortch hammered a
two-run bomb during Mercer's early three-run spurt.
Gardner-Webb will wrap up its regular season next weekend in
Jacksonville, Fla., as the ‘Dogs will travel to face North
Florida on Thursday and Friday in the River City.
| GAME BOX (1): GWU 11, Mercer 5 |
| GAME BOX (2): Mercer 6, GWU 4 |
