MEMPHIS - Junior Jack Mercer took a no hitter into the eighth inning and finished with a complete game to lead the Rhodes College baseball team to a conference series clinching 6-1 lead on Sunday afternoon at Stauffer Field.

Mercer pitched all nine innings, allowing only one run on three hits and striking out five batters in the process for their second conference series win of the season. He started off the game on fire, striking out four batters in the first two innings.

Mercer mowed down Majors all afternoon long. Minus one error in the third inning, no other base runners were allowed by Mercer until the eighth inning when a base hit finally came.

Before the eighth, Rhodes had numerous opportunities to take the lead, including loading the bases in the second inning, but could not push through a run until the fifth inning when sophomore Nick Bosma flew one out deep to right field, scoring a run for a sac fly and a 1-0 lead.

The Lynx made it 2-0 in the seventh inning when freshman Paul Giacomazzi scored on a wild pitch. It proved to be a big run as the Majors finally pushed one across to make it a 2-1 game. Mercer got out of a bases loaded jam in the eighth to keep it a one run game.

In the bottom half of the game, Rhodes broke it open, loading the bases where pinch hitter Bill Munson came to the plate and belted a single to left, scoring two, and going ahead 4-1. 

Giacomazzi made it 5-1 on a RBI double while senior Zac Lange scored on a wild pitch to put the game out of reach at 6-1. Mercer came in the ninth and finished off the complete game to move to 3-2 on the season.

Rhodes pounded out seven hits on the day with Giacomazzi going 1-for-4 with a RBI and run scored. Senior Bennett Notestine, sophomore Nick Bosma, and sophomore Jacob Telli all had a hit and a run. Munson, sophomore Jon Michael Lauck, and freshman Ryan Palermo all had hits while freshman Nathan Mirochnick had a run scored.

The Lynx move to 10-11 overall and 4-2 in SAA play. They will turn around and continue their seven game home stand on Tuesday as they welcome in Huntingdon for a non-conference contest. First pitched is scheduled for 2 PM.