Macon, Ga.- Mark Micowski smacked three doubles and Carter Sackett homered for the fourth time this season but Georgia State dropped a 9-6 decision to Mercer at Claude Smith Field Tuesday evening.
The Panthers fell to 35-18 overall this season, completing the year 2-1 against their Interstate-75 rival. Mercer improved to 34-17 with the victory.
On a night that featured 10 total extra-base hits, Micowski started the game with a leadoff double to the wall in left. After moving to third on a passed ball, Micowski scored the game's first run on a Rob Lind RBI single as the Panthers took an early 1-0 lead.
Mercer tied the game in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single from Jacob Tanis.
After yielding two more runs in the second inning, the Panthers came back to tie the game, 3-3, with a two-out rally in the fourth. After the first two GSU batters in the inning struck out, Carter Sackett began the charge with his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot to left center field that cut it to 3-2. The inning continued when Theo Asher reached second on a two-base throwing error by the Bears defense. The Panthers then drew three consecutive walks, the last by Micowski with the bases loaded to plate Asher and tie the game.
Trailing 4-3 later in the game in the fifth, Brandon Williams pulled the Panthers back even by drilling a double off the wall in left to score Lind, who had singled. After Williams moved to third base two batters later on an infield single by Sackett, he scored on an RBI groundout by Asher to put the Panthers on top, 5-4.
The lead was short-lived as the Bears tied the game once more in the bottom of the inning on a run-scoring grounder, then added two runs each in the sixth and seventh to take a 9-5 lead.
Georgia State would add its final score in the eighth inning. After Asher singled to start the frame, Micowski drove home the Panthers' final run of the night on a double to right field- his third of the game and 20th of the season- scoring Asher from first.
The Panthers were able to load the bases with one out in the ninth inning, but Asher and Aaron Schmitz struck out against Mercer reliever J.T. Odom to end the game.
Micowski and Sackett each finished the day 3-for-4 at the plate, while Lind added two hits.
Reliever Wes Grant (0-2) suffered the loss for the Panthers.
Georgia State finishes the season 5-2 against in-state opponents, picking up wins over #15 Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State, Oglethorpe and Mercer twice.
The Panthers return home this weekend for the final series of the regular season, hosting George Mason (20-30-1, 6-21 CAA) in a crucial Colonial Athletic Association matchup, Thursday through Saturday. By taking at least two of the series' three contests, the Panthers can clinch their third straight trip to the CAA Tournament in Wilmington, N.C., Memorial Day weekend. GSU (15-12 CAA) currently stands in fourth place in the league standings, needing two wins against the Patriots to retain one of the conference's four tournament spots.
