MERCER — The Mustangs couldn’t find the strike zone Thursday.

Five Mercer pitchers combined to walk 11 and hit a pair of batters in a 5-2 setback to visiting Sharpsville in Region 1 action at Brandy Springs Park.

“Our weakness is on the mound,” Mustang mentor Art Amos said. “We can’t be walking batters, because it always ends badly and that’s what happened here today.”

After starter Justin Amos issued three walks in the first three innings, eight of the 11 free passes and both of the hit batters came off the finger tips of Mercer’s bullpen.

“I told them somebody needs to step up on the mound and throw strikes,” Art Amos said. “We don’t have the arms like we’ve had in the past.”

The Blue Devils (1-0, 2-1) took full advantage of the Mustangs’ inability to find the strike zone in the later stages of Thursday’s contest, scoring all five runs against Mercer’s relief pitching. The visitors plated single runs in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings, while pushing a pair of tallies across the dish in the fifth inning.

The Mustangs (1-2, 3-2) took advantage of free passes in the first inning when Justin and Jayden Amos accepted walks from Sharpsville starter Kaden Wygant before scoring on Cole Fisher’s bloop single to shallow right-center field.

“In our scrimmages and our games so far, we’ve scored early in the first inning with one or two runs,” Art Amos said. “That’s been working well.”

Outside of Fisher’s first inning base knock, Mercer managed a double from Scout McFeeley and singles from Justin Amos and Adam Dupuis, while striking out six times.

“I re-watched the Greenville (loss) and we’re looking at a lot of strikes,” Art Amos said. “We need to be swinging. Halfway through (Thursday), it happened again, because we were looking at a lot of strikes. I’d like to see (more aggressiveness) out of them before we get into a hole.”

Amos is hoping his players take the lessons learned in March and early April and apply them as the season wears on.

“I told them there’s always highs and lows to a season,” he said. “I’m hoping this is our low point and by the time we reach the middle and end of the season, we’ll be at our high (point).”

Notes: Seven players — five Mustangs and two Blue Devils — were hit by pitches. … Kaden Wygant and Travis Wilding combined to scatter two runs on four hits, while striking out six and walking three for Sharpsville. … Wilding led the Blue Devils with a pair of singles, while Lincoln Breit (double) and Journey Cornelius (single) accounted for the only other hits for the victors. … First pitch was pushed back an hour to get the field playable due to heavy rains the day before. … Sharpsville had two errors, while Mercer had one. … The Blue Devils stranded 12 base runners (nine in scoring position) and the Mustangs left eight on (six in scoring position).