Category | Sports

Owls fall to Mercer

Published on April 22, 2008 by The Sentinel

    Jace Whitmer came up big again for the KSU baseball team on Friday
evening at Stillwell Stadium.  The sophomore hit a grand slam in the
fifth inning, giving the Owls the lead, but Mercer University’s rally
was too much for KSU to handle. The Owls fell 8-6 in the first game of
the double header versus their instate A-Sun rival.

 
    The Mercer Bears took the lead early in the game,
scoring two runs in the second inning off a home run.  The Owls
answered back strong, scoring six runs in the next two innings. After
the first batter struck out, Tyler Stubblefield singled in the third
inning and was able to steal second base, putting him in scoring
position.  Ric Bishop came to bat and singled up the middle,
sending Stubblefield to the plate for the Owl’s first run of the
game. 

    The next inning went scoreless until the fifth
inning, when Jacob Robbins started off the hitting spree with a single
to left field followed by Martin Baker bunting to second for another
single.  Jay Morrow was then hit with a pitch, loading it up for
Whitmer.  On a 1-0 count with 1 out, Whitmer drove the ball far to
left field, slamming into the roof of the Bailey Building and giving
him a grand slam, putting KSU up 5-2.

    In the sixth inning, the Owls added to their runs by
a Bucky Smith triple down the right field line followed by a wild pitch
from Mercer which brought Smith home, making the score now 6-2.

    The seventh inning was the turning point, starting
the six unanswered runs Mercer would score.  A walk and two
singles, followed by a fielder’s choice run and an error made by the
Owls gave the Bears two runs.  Mercer then scored two runs on a
double to right field, and KSU allowed two unearned runs to score,
making the score 7-6.  The Bears secured their win in the eighth
inning with a homer over the left field wall, putting Mercer in the
lead 8-6. 

    The game would end at 8-6, although KSU tried to
fight back in the ninth, loading the bases, but Mercer made it out of
the inning unscathed, leaving the final at 8-6.  “It just wasn’t
our night,” said sophomore Tyler Stubblefield.  The Owls are now
20-19 in their season after this loss.