Box Score
How it Happened
Rhode Island drilled three home runs - including two in the ninth inning - but the Rams fell just short in a 9-7 loss to Mercer Friday night.

Mercer's Eric Toth hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning. The Bears (5-1) never relinquished the lead despite plenty of offensive fireworks for both sides.

After leadoff hitter Joszef Rohrbacher walked to start the home half of the first, Toth drilled the first pitch he saw to left for an early 2-0 deficit. The Bears (5-1) added another run in the frame to put Rhody in an early hole.

The Rams (1-3) came right back in the top of the second. With two outs, Alex Ramirez doubled. Michael Anderson followed with his first career home run, a two-run shot to left center that got Rhode Island back within a run. Toth gave his team a 4-2 lead when he drove in Landen Underhill with a fielder's choice grounder. A double steal executed by Toth and Rohrbacher - with Rohrbacher scoring - added to the lead before the inning was over.

The score remaining the same until the bottom of the fifth inning, when a pair of errors by URI contributed to a three-run inning. Toth led off the inning with a single.Treyson Hughes reached on an error, and walk to Ty Dalley loaded the bases. Toth scored on a sacrifice fly for the first run. Eli Runyan later delivered a two-run double that scored Dalley and Hughes, making the score 8-2.

Rhody chipped away in the top of the seventh. Anderson was hit by a pitch, and Mark Coley hit a two-out double to the gap in left center to bring Anderson all the way around. Addison Kopack's single to right drove in Coley to get URI within four runs. Coley later hit a solo shot in the top of the ninth. With two outs, Kopack singled and Billy Butler launched a two-run home run to get URI within two runs. However, the game ended with a strikeout one batter later.

Inside the Box Score

• Rhode Island's offense has 40 through the first four games of the season.
• Of the 40 hits, 18 have gone for extra bases.
• Redshirt senior Mark Coley extended his hitting streak to four games with a three-hit performance. He homered, doubled, singled, scored twice and drove in two runs.
• Coley already has seven hits and four runs scored through four games.
• Freshman Michael Anderson hit his first career home run in the bottom of the second. He has hit safely in all four games this season, with five of his six hits going for extra bases.
• Anderson already has six runs batted in on the year.
• In addition to his home run, Anderson was hit by a pitch and scored a second run.
• Redshirt senior Billy Butler hit a two-run homer, double and single in five at bats.
• Redshirt junior Addison Kopack singled twice, walked scored once and drove in one.
• Sophomore Eric Genther doubled and walked in four plate appearances.
• Redshirt junior Alex Ramirez doubled, walked and scored a run.
• Redshirt senior Bo Brutti provided 1.2 innings of scoreless relief to keep URI within striking distance. Brutti fanned two batters and now has three strikeouts in 3.2 scoreless innings of work.

Up Next
Rhode Island and Mercer get back to the series Saturday at 3 p.m.