Macon, Georgia — Mercer pitcher Miguel Hugas threw five shutout innings, and Braydon Kersey homered as Mercer defeated Alcorn 10-5 Saturday at OrthoGeorgia Park. The Bears secured the nonconference series win behind the dominant start from Hugas, who improved to 4-0.
Hugas scattered five hits, struck out four and walked one during his five-inning effort. Mercer built a 6-0 lead before Alcorn rallied in the sixth. Mercer scored early, with Chris Katz reaching on a wild pitch and Eli Stephens driving him in. Mercer added to its lead with hits from Katz and Dylan LaPointe, and Kersey’s solo homer in the fifth extended the lead to 7-0.
Alcorn responded in the sixth, taking advantage of Mercer relievers. Jaylyn Bennett scored on a Keatan Hawk single after being hit by a pitch and stealing second. The Braves drew four hits and took advantage of Mercer errors and a wild pitch to score five runs, trimming the deficit to 6-5. Nico Garcia’s two-run single capped the inning’s rally.
Mercer answered immediately in the bottom of the sixth. An unearned run scored on an error, and a balk pushed Mercer’s lead to 8-5. The Bears sealed the game in the eighth, with Graziano driving in two runs on a single, extending the lead to 10-5.
Katz led Mercer offensively, going 4-for-5 with a double and a run scored. Stephens was 3-for-5 with two runs, and Graziano drove in two. Alcorn’s Garcia and Hawk each had two hits and an RBI. Starting pitcher Kayden Sutton took the loss for the Braves, allowing six runs, four earned, over five innings.
The teams will meet again at OrthoGeorgia Park on Sunday at 1 p.m. for the series finale, according to Mercer.
