Wright's two hits help Sycamores to another win
Great Lake Canadians alum Max Wright (Toronto, Ont.) had two runs and two hits for the Indiana State Sycamores on Sunday. Photo: Indiana State Athletics (file photo)
March 10, 2019
By Tim McCaughan
Indiana State Athletics
Sycamores Claim Third Road Series Sweep Sunday at Mercer
MACON, Ga. - Indiana State baseball wrapped up its third weekend sweep on the road Sunday afternoon at OrthoGeorgia Park after defeating Mercer, 9-4.
With the victory, the Sycamores move to 12-1 on the season after playing all but two games on the road. The sweep also marked the first time the Bears’ (9-8) have been swept at home since 2011 when falling in three-straight to Jacksonville.
“I thought we played very well both Saturday and today (Sunday), we had a little bit of a lack of focus late in Friday’s game but I’m proud of how we finished the weekend,” head coach Mitch Hannahs said postgame. “We chased their starter early, but their bullpen did a really good job holding us at bay. We had some good at bats along with solid pitching out of the bullpen after Whitbread gave us another quality start. For the most part I was really pleased with how we played this weekend.”
Romero Harris and Joe Boyle led the way at the plate for the Sycamore, collecting three RBI apiece. Boyle put the game out of doubt with a two-run blast in the top of the ninth to make it a five-run game.
The Sycamores got another strong outing from senior Tyler Whitbread on the mound. The right-hander went five and two-third innings and allowed just three runs while striking out five Bears to move to 2-0 on the season.
The Sycamores jumped out to an early lead for the third-straight game after Romero Harris brought home Clay Dungan on a groundout in the first.
The Trees really got the bats going in the second, batting around for the third time this weekend en route to scoring five runs on six base hits. Max Wright (Toronto, Ont.) got the inning starting with a single and would eventually come in to score on a wild pitch before Luke Fegen brought home Jarrod Watkins on a sacrifice fly to left to boost the ISU lead to 3-0. ISU recorded three more base hits and took advantage of an error in the inning. Harris brought in two runs with a single to center before Boyle picked up an RBI on a ball hit to right.
The Mercer bullpen was strong for much of the middle innings, not allowing a base hit until the eighth when Wright singled to end the streak. Fegen collected his second sacrifice fly in the inning to put the Sycamores back on the scoreboard after the Bears scored four runs -- two off of solo home runs. Boyle’s two-run shot iced the game in the ninth as the Indian State bullpen closed out the game.
Austin Cross, Tyler Grauer and Jake Ridgway finished the final three and a third innings. Cross recorded a strikeout and got out of a jam in the sixth. Grauer had a pair of strikeouts in one and a third while Ridgway collected his fourth save of the season after not allowing a hit and retiring two on strikeouts in the final inning and a third.
Over the course of three games this weekend, Indiana State recorded 41 base hits after notching 11 in the finale.
Zach Graveno went just one and a third innings for Mercer, allowing three runs as he fell to 1-2. Kel Johnson and Zack Miller each went for solo home runs in the game for the Bears.
The Sycamores return home to begin a five-game stretch at Bob Warn Field starting with Purdue Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET.