McCord, Thompson Combine on Shutout

By Ben Jones

Special to CollegeBaseballInsider.com

 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Auburn coach Sunny Golloway didn't expect to win many games in the NCAA tournament with home runs. He hasn't needed many yet.

 

The Tigers (36-25) manufactured a 1-0 win over Mercer (35-23) in the third game of the Tallahassee Regional to keep their season alive for at least one more day.

 

"If we take it one pitch at a time, we have plenty of pitching to do this, and stay within ourselves," Golloway said. "We're not going to hit the long ball, we're going to have to win tight ballgames, but that's been our story all year long."

 

Auburn will face the loser of tonight's game between Florida State and College of Charleston at noon on Sunday in an elimination game. The winner of that game will go on to play the winner of Saturday night's game. The first three games in the Tallahassee regional have all been decided by one run.

 

Mercer, which hit 69 home runs in the regular season, exited the tournament without hitting a single one at Dick Howser Stadium.

 

"If you're going to lose a game, the first game is the best game to lose, because then you can get on a roll," Golloway said. "… Tomorrow, when we get up, we'll be ready to play somebody who's lost a game. We feel like that's our advantage."

 

The Tigers scratched their one run across against Mercer reliever Morgan Pittman in the bottom of the sixth. Pittman, who had pitched 3.2 shutout innings against Florida State in the Bears' loss on Friday, gave up a leadoff single to pinch hitter Jordan Ebert to start the inning.

 

After a fly ball to right field for the first out, Ebert stole second, then moved to third on a single to right. He scored on a sac fly to center field for the second out of the inning from pinch-hitter Blake Logan.

 

"When we have a lead early or a tie ballgame early, we get to play our game," Ebert said. "Today, thanks to Rocky [McCord] and Keegan [Thompson], it gave us an opportunity to play our game."

 

McCord kept Auburn in the game by throwing 6.2 shutout innings. He gave up six hits and two walks while striking out three and throwing 95 pitches.

 

Mercer's season ended after a wild ninth inning that was capped when Southern Conference player of the year Kyle Lewis flew out to center field with the tying run on first.

 

No. 9 hitter Trey Truitt led off with a walk, but that was erased by a double play on a bunt down the third base line from leadoff man Matt Meeder. Second baseman Devin Bonin struck out and hung his head as the game appeared to be over, but the catcher dropped the ball, allowing it to get to the backstop. Bonin raced to first base in time to keep the game alive for Lewis. He watched the first two pitches before lifting a ball to center to end the game.

 

"We didn't have many chances," Mercer coach Craig Gibson said. "The chances we did have, we couldn’t come through. They played well, but I thought we played well also. Just a tough one today."

 

Pittman, Mercer's workhorse out of the bullpen, came out of the game in the seventh after giving up just three hits across 3.1 innings. But the damage was done.

 

"I was tired from last night but I gave it everything I had," Pittman said.

 

Mercer had another chance strike in the top of the seventh, when Lewis came to the plate with two outs and runners on first and second. The Tigers brought on righty Keegan Thompson, who pitched only once since April 18 because of an elbow injury, to face the slugger. He walked Lewis to load the bases, but Mercer third baseman Danny Edgeworth lined out to short to end the threat.

 

Thompson stayed on and closed out the win, pitching the final 2.1 innings. He struck out two while giving up one hit and two walks after being limited in the last month with tendonitis in his elbow.

 

"I think what he showed, he showed physically he's been working hard as far as his rehab and everything," Golloway said. "When he came on to get us out of the jam in the seventh, because I know in his mind he probably doesn't have his best stuff, you have to understand how special he is at 100 percent. I told him 'You're on the mound because of your makeup. Just keep pitching.'"