Friday's Daily News 'n Notes: Scoreboard; Mercer, Bacon; Stratford's Avant; Hawks; NBA, MLB, more
Friday’s Central Georgia - and of interest to Central Georgia - news and notes, compiled from staff reports, email reports, the web, and social media.
SCOREBOARD
High school coaches should send box scores and/or game information to centralgasports@gmail.com within 30 minutes of completion for expanded coverage. The more info provided, the more info to give people.
College
Baseball
Southern Conference: Wofford 8, Mercer 7
Golf
NCAA men’s championship, first round, Georgia Tech (tied 17th), Georgia (tied 19th)
Softball
College
Super Regional: Georgia 4, Florida 0
Summer
Baseball
Pro
MLB
Atlanta at NY Mets, ppd
NBA
📰 📰 📰 📰
Signings
Alumni Update
Stratford’s Avant leads UGA to Super Regional win in Gainesville
Around/About Central Georgia
Two conference tournament games, two walk-off losses for Mercer
Less than 24 hours apart, Mercer lost a pair of games on walk-off homers.
Thursday night, Samford did it, overcoming a 7-6 Mercer lead after seven. Friday afternoon, it was Wofford, which trailed Mercer 7-6 after seven.
The Terriers got a two-out solo shot down the right-field line from John Dempsey for an 8-7 win over Mercer in an elimination game of the Southern Conference Tournament in Greenville, S.C.
Mercer’s season ends at 35-22 with its first 0-2 trip to the Southern Conference tournament, after winning it in the Bears’ first SoCon season, 2015. Mercer went 1-2 in 2017, the only other time they haven’t won at least two games.
The Bears’ last 0-2 conference tournament was in 2014 in their final year in the Atlantic Sun when they lost 7-5 in 10 innings to Stetson and 7-1 to ETSU.
On Thursday, the Bears overcame a 6-4 deficit for a 7-6 lead through seven, and gave up two in the eighth and ninth innings, the game ending on a one-out, two-run walk-off homer.
On Friday, the Bears and Terriers battled on offense early, Mercer taking a 7-3 lead after four. Woford scored three in the sixth and added single runs in the eighth and ninth, with the two-out walk-off bomb.
Mercer’s bats were quieted in the final five innings Friday, stranding three runners in that span.
Angelo DeSpigna went 3 for 5 for Mercer, Bill Knight and Colby Thomas each with two hits.
The Bears entered Friday last in the conference with 70 homers allowed and fourth with a 5.20 ERA.
Florence hammers Macon in home debut
Florence took control early with a 9-0 lead after three en route to an 11-2 win over Macon in the Bacon’s home opener in Coastal Plain League action.
Kyle McShaffrey drove in four runs on two hits for Florence, which scored four unearned runs and had three triples.
Brandon Bellflower (John Milledge/Georgia) and Trippe Moore (Mary Persons/Georgia) had Macon’s RBI.
Macon hosts Savannah Saturday night.
Around/About Georgia/Southeast
Young’s double-double leads Hawks
Stratford’s Avant leads UGA to Super Regional win in Gainesville
Georgia Tech gets N.C. State in ACC semi
Jordan donates a mil to Morehouse for journalism, sports
NBA/WNBA
Tatum’s 50 leads Celtics over Nets
Young, Morant rip crude, out-of-control fans
Column: Can we bring back cardboard cutouts?
Paul has a rough record when Foster has the whistle
Smart backs up Irving’s comments on racism in Boston, countering Ainge
Column: And Boston does have a history
Baseball
Grumbles in Chicago about name-change for lounge to LaRussa
College Sports
Oklahoma AD not happy with AM start time vs. Nebraska
NFL
Report: Trump tried to stop Spygate investigation of Patriots
Sports and social/racial awareness
Smart backs up Irving’s comments on racism in Boston, countering Ainge
Around the nation/world