MACON, Ga. - Indiana State baseball clinched a series win over Mercer Saturday afternoon at OrthoGeorgia Park. The Sycamores used three late runs to secure the 7-3 win over the Bears to improve to 11-1 on the season.
 
Over the first two games of the series, the Sycamore bats have been hot with 30 hits in 18 innings. ISU struck for 13 base hits in Saturday's win after finishing Friday with a season high 17 hits.
 
"It was a well-played game in contrast to last night. Obviously, it was a close game so everybody was sharp," head coach Mitch Hannahs said after the win. "I thought we made some great plays defensively down the stretch -- Jake (Means) made a couple great plays especially starting the double play in the eighth and the play he made in the ninth was just a great play."
 
"For the most part, we got timely hitting, we pitched it okay and we had solid defense so I feel a little better about the win today than I did the win last night."
 
It was a quick start once again that propelled the Trees to the win as ISU struck for a pair of runs in the first after third baseman Jake Means showed off his power with a two-run home run to left field on what was a 10 pitch at bat that featured seven foul balls. It was the second-straight day that the Sycamores have sent a ball over the wall in the opening frame.
 
Gritty at bats continued to be the story of the day as the Sycamores knocked Mercer's starting pitcher Tanner Hall out of the game after four innings in which the lefty saw 20 batters and was forced to throw 98 pitches.
 
Senior outfielder Luke Fegen battled at the plate once again in the fourth inning after the Sycamores loaded the bases with back-to-back singles from Romero Harris and Joe Boyle to lead off the inning. Jarrod Watkins would draw a walk on four consecutive balls to put a Sycamore at each station for Fegen.
 
Fegen, a Waukee, Iowa native, took Hall 10 pitches deep and on a 3-2 count, he lined a ball to right center to score two runs and extend the Sycamore lead to 4-0.
 
Mercer (9-7) would get into the scoring column in the bottom half of the fourth on a sacrifice fly after putting two runners on but a flyout ended the threat. The Bears used a leadoff walk and a single through the left side of the infield in the fifth to put the pressure on Sycamore starter Collin Liberatore. After a sacrifice bunt put both runners in scoring position, Mercer shortstop RJ Yeager would bring both runners home on a double to the line in left to cut the ISU lead to just 4-3.
 
That would be all the scoring the Bears would get though as Sycamore right-hander Tyler Ward was strong out of the bullpen, allowing just two base hits in four innings en route to his second save of the season. Ward faced just 13 batters and recorded two strikeouts on the day. Ward, a Rockport, Indiana product, retired 10-straight Mercer batters from the sixth to the ninth, including two-perfect 1-2-3 innings in the seventh and eighth.
 
"Tyler (Ward) is going to come in and battle. He's going to keep the ball in the park and he's going to stay down and give us a chance on the ground," Hannahs said. "You're just very comfortable as a coach when he's in the game because you know the other team has to beat him because he's not going to beat himself."
 
Indiana State catcher Max Wright continued his strong start to the season with a strong at bat in the seventh to add a run when he singled up the middle to score Roby Enriquez. ISU would add two more insurance runs in the ninth -- the first on a wild pitch, scoring Enriquez who singled to open the frame and the second on a clutch single though the left side by Joe Boyle to make it a four-run game.
 
Liberatore made his third start of the season for the Sycamores, going five innings and allowing just three runs in the outing. The right-hander struck out two and walked three as improved to 3-0 on the season.
 
"Collin (Liberatore) was solid on the mound. He elevated a little sooner than we would have liked but he was really solid overall and he gave us a chance to save a lot of our bullpen," Hannahs.
 
Boyle recorded a career high four base hits in the win while driving in a run and scoring once. Designated hitter Romero Harris tallied a trio of base hits, including a double while scoring two runs. Clay Dungan reached base three times with a pair of walks and a single.
 
Hall was charged with the loss after allowing four runs in four innings. He struck out seven Sycamores as he fell to 2-2 on the season.
 
Indiana State will wrap up the series Sunday at noon with right-hander Tyler Whitbread scheduled to make his third start of the season.
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Baseball team, be sure to visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.