Five-run ninth lifts Mercer to win over Furman

Mercer homered three times in the ninth inning, scoring all of its runs in the final inning to beat Furman 5-4 on Friday in Greenville, South Carolina.

Furman lifted starting pitcher Will Gaddis after eight innings in which he struck out 10 and allowed just two hits. Once he left the game, Mercer took off.

In the stretch of four at-bats, Hunter Bening, Ryan Hagan and Alex Hanson homered, with Bening connecting on a three-run shot.

Eighth-inning pitcher Zach Graveno (3-0) claimed the win, with Robert Broom picking up his first save.

“Our guys grinded some at bats out, and once they went to the bullpen we put some balls in the air,” Mercer head coach Craig Gibson said in a news release. “This is a great win for us — to come from behind in our final two at bats and win ... that’s something special.”

Clemson 11, Georgia Tech 6

Clemson scored five two-out runs in the fourth to take control of its victory in Atlanta.

Fifth-ranked Clemson improved to 23-4, 9-1 in the ACC.

Nine different Georgia Tech players registered hits, led by freshmen Kyle McCann (2-for-4, run) and Austin Wilhite (2-for-3, walk, two runs). Fifth-year senior Coleman Poje had a home run and two RBI, and Brandt Stallings picked up a double.

Grayson Byrd homered and scored three runs for Clemson, while Jordan Greene went 3-for-5 with two runs scored.

Tennessee 6, Georgia 5

Tennessee claimed its first SEC victory of the season in seven attempts, prevailing at home.

The Vols scored three runs in the sixth to take a 4-1 lead, adding two runs in the seventh on Jeff Moberg’s solo homer and an RBI triple from Andre Lipcius.

Georgia rallied with four runs in the ninth, highlighted by a two-run single by Michael Curry.

This story was originally published March 31, 2017 at 11:51 PM with the headline "Five-run ninth lifts Mercer to win over Furman."