MACON, Ga. – After beating rival Western Kentucky and No. 11 Vanderbilt on back-to-back days, the EKU baseball team stays on the road for a three-game series this weekend at Mercer.
 
The series-opener is scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. and will air live on ESPN3.  Saturday's game is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will not be televised.  Sunday's series finale will get underway at 1 p.m. and will also air live on ESPN3.
 
Eastern Kentucky (7-11) never trailed in a 7-5 win on Tuesday at Western Kentucky, and never trailed on its way to a 6-5 victory at No. 11 Vanderbilt on Wednesday.
 
The Colonels now have two wins this season against top-15 ranked teams, having beaten No. 15 Virginia, 7-6, on March 23.
 
Alex Holderbach drove in five of EKU's six runs in the win over the Commodores.  The junior had an RBI ground out in the first (2-0), a two-run single (4-0) in the third, an RBI single (5-0) in the seventh and a sacrifice fly (6-1) in the ninth.
 
Cornell Nixon and Ryland Kerr, EKU's No. 1 and No. 2 hitters, scored two runs each in the Colonels' win at Vanderbilt.  The duo combined to go 3-for-6 with three walks.  Kaven Brown started and held the Commodores scoreless over five and one-third innings.  He allowed three hits, walked two and struck out a season-best eight.
 
Kerr leads the team this season with a .333 average and 15 runs scored.  Nixon has a .449 on-base percentage.  Holderbach is now batting .273 with 15 RBIs and 11 runs scored.
 
After an 11-8 victory at home over Georgia Southern on Wednesday, Mercer is now 13-5 overall this season.  Two of the Bears' five losses came this past weekend at Kansas State.
 
Mercer averages 9.6 runs per game and has eight players with 10 or more RBIs this season.  Brandon Michie leads the team with a .460 average, 22 RBIs and 16 runs scored.  Trey Truitt has a .381 batting average and a team-best 22 runs scored.  He is one of nine Bears that have scored 10 or more times.
 
The pitching match-up for Friday's game will feature EKU senior right-hander Austin Perry and Mercer's junior lefty Austin Cox.  Perry is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA.  Cox is 3-0 with a 4.58 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 19.2 innings of work.
 
On Saturday, Logan Teague, a junior right-hander, will take the mound for Eastern against Mercer senior right-hander Chase Burks.  Teague is 1-2 with a 5.91 ERA.  Burks comes into the game at 2-1 and sporting a 6.87 ERA.
 
Casey Collins will get the start on Sunday for Eastern Kentucky.  The senior left-hander is 0-1 with a 5.56 ERA.  Mercer's Sunday starter has not been determined.