Mercer baseball wins eighth straight, defeating Georgia State on road

Mercer went to Georgia State on Tuesday and won its eighth straight baseball game, topping the Panthers 11-4.

The Bears scored five runs in the first three innings, leading the game the entire way. Mercer (29-6) handed Georgia State (11-21) its 11th straight loss.

Hunter Bening’s bases-loaded double in the first inning set the tone for the Bears. Zach Graveno (5-0) won in relief with three hitless innings.

“This was another great team win for us as our pitching staff led us with an excellent overall performance,” Mercer head coach Craig Gibson said in a release. “We had some big moments at the plate; Hunter Bening got us off to the start we wanted with a three-run double. Charlie (Madden) and Danny Edgeworth were great. ... Alex Crotty continues to get better, as well.”

Mercer opens a three-game Southern Conference series Thursday at VMI.

Georgia 5, Georgia Tech 1

Georgia scored three runs in the first inning as the Bulldogs beat their in-state rivals in Athens.

Doubles by Tucker Maxwell and Michael Curry helped lift Georgia in the first. Cam Shepherd had a solo homer in the third.

Zac Kristofac (2-1) picked up the win, throwing three scoreless innings, while Jonathan Hughes took the loss for Georgia Tech. The teams combined to use 11 pitchers for the midweek contest, with Georgia’s pitchers combining for 15 strikeouts.

Georgia Tech scored on an error in the seventh. Georgia scored its final run in the eighth on Will Proctor’s RBI double.

Georgia travels to Arkansas this weekend for an SEC series, while Georgia Tech hosts Louisville in an ACC series.

This story was originally published April 11, 2017 at 11:47 PM with the headline "Mercer baseball wins eighth straight, defeating Georgia State on road."