2019 SoCon Tournament Bracket (PDF)

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Rutty Jones, Mason Kenney, and Jordan Beatson combined to hurl eight solid innings to lift Furman past Mercer, 5-3, in Southern Conference baseball action Saturday afternoon at Latham Stadium.

The victory in the regular season finale for both teams earned Furman (25-29, 13-11 SoCon) a conference best third consecutive league series win and backed up a series triumph over Mercer (29-26, 14-10 SoCon) last year in Macon. 

The Paladins will take the No. 5 seed into next week's SoCon Tournament, where they will face the No. 4 seed Bears again in a 12:30 p.m. Wednesday matchup at Fluor Field in downtown Greenville.

Jones, a senior right-hander making the first start of his Furman career, surrendered just one hit and a walk over the first 2 2/3 innings before departing with a 1-0 lead.  Kenney followed with 3 1/3 frames of relief, and he gave way in the seventh to Beatson, who blanked the Bears for two innings before leaving with a 5-2 advantage.

The Paladins' pitching trio was provided run support from an 11-hit attack led by David Webel, Jared Mihalik, and Banks Griffith, who registered two hits apiece.

Jordan Starkes gave the Paladins a 1-0 lead in the second when he stroked a two-out line drive single into right field to plate Jared Mihalik.

Jones recorded the first two outs in the third inning before giving way to Kenney, who was touched up for four consecutive hits that led to a pair of runs and 2-1 Mercer lead.

The Paladins loaded the bases with one out in the fourth when David Webel reached on a fielder's choice on a failed double play attempt that saw Mihalik to score the game tying run.  A throwing error on the play also allowed  Bret Huebner to cross home plate, giving Furman a 3-2 lead.

The Paladins made it 4-2 an inning later on a Huebner RBI bunt single, and Furman stretched it to 5-2 in the eighth on John Michael Boswell's two-out RBI single to right field that scored Webel.

Matters got dicey in the ninth when Paladin reliever Eric Taylor walked the bases full.  With two outs he was replaced by Nik Verbeke, who hit Mercer's Zach Miller on a two-ball, two-strike pitch for force in a run to make it 5-3.  Verbeke recovered to retire Collin Price on a fly ball to right field to end the game and notch his first save of the season.

Kenney (2-1) was credited with the victory while the loss went to Mercer starter Tanner Hall (7-4), who lasted 4 2/3 innings and yielded four runs, three earned, on seven hits.

Furman, which was 12-23 overall and 5-7 in SoCon play on Apr. 16, went 13-6 over its final 19 regular season games and 8-4 in SoCon play.

Hunter Reid, Sports Information