Mercer Baseball Returns Home for Final Series of 2005

MACON, Ga. – Mercer baseball puts the wraps on the 2005 season with a three-game Atlantic Sun Conference series at home against UCF on Thursday and Friday. The Bears will honor their five seniors before the game on Thursday.

Mercer (26-25, 10-17) will start sophomore right-hander Brantley New in game one. New has posted a team low 3.59 ERA this season. UCF (39-14, 18-9) will trot out Tim Bascom in opposition to open the series.

Junior southpaw Hunter Abercrombie will start for the Bears in the first game of Friday’s doubleheader and senior righty Philip Morrison will close out his Mercer career with the start in the final game of the series.

The Bears will not qualify for the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship this season, which takes the top six teams based on winning percentage in league play.

Starting with its series against Troy on April 8-9, Mercer has lost 13 of its last 17 games, including a current seven game losing streak.

Mercer will host Central Florida on Thursday at Claude Smith Field in the final series of the 2005 season. First pitch on Thursday is scheduled for 6 p.m.

- http://www.mercerbears.com -

Ninth Inning UCF Rally Drops Bears, 6-5

MACON, Ga. – Mercer carried a 5-4 lead into the ninth but couldn’t hold off the Golden Knights, who scored two in the top half of the inning for a 6-5 win in Atlantic Sun Conference play at Claude Smith Field on Thursday.

John-Michael Howell went 1-4 with a big two-run homer run for UCF (40-14, 19-9) in the top of the seventh and scored the game winning run in the top of the ninth.

“We put ourselves in a position to win tonight but you can’t give a team like UCF extra outs,