Mercer bats held in check in third straight loss

The Mercer baseball team lost its third straight game Friday, dropping a 3-2 decision to Western Carolina in Southern Conference play.

The Bears, who have clinched the No. 1 seed for the Southern Conference Tournament next week in Greenville, South Carolina, fall to 38-15 and 17-6 in conference play. The two teams wrap up the regular season at 2 p.m. on Saturday at OrthoGeorgia Park.

Brendan Nail kept the Bears under control, going seven innings and striking out 11 while allowing two hits. Mercer managed just three hits and struck out 13 times.

Mercer’s pitching was strong, as well. Austin Cox, who entered the game with a designated pitch count, allowed three runs on two hits in four innings and struck out seven. Kevin Coulter was strong in relief, striking out three in 3 2/3 scoreless innings.

“Our pitching staff was great (Friday) and did what it took to win a ballgame; no question about that,” Mercer head coach Craig Gibson said. “Offensively, we have to do a better job. We’re going to come out and be better (Saturday) and end the regular season the right way.”

Georgia 5, South Carolina 4

Georgia claimed its third straight SEC series, holding off a late rally by South Carolina. The Bulldogs improve to 25-30 and 11-18 in the SEC.

Georgia State 7, Georgia Southern 6

Georgia State got a couple of runs in the seventh inning to take the lead and pull out the win in Sun Belt Conference play. The Panthers improved to 22-31, while the Eagles dropped to 35-20.

This story was originally published May 19, 2017 at 10:55 PM with the headline "Mercer bats held in check in third straight loss."