Mercer Sweeps Furman with 7-6 Extra-Inning Win
4/2/2017 4:41:00 PM | Baseball
Bears rally, survive late scare to complete weekend sweep
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Alex Crotty scored on a fielder's choice play after a leadoff double in the top of the 10th inning as Mercer defeated Furman, 7-6, in extra innings to complete a Southern Conference series sweep Sunday afternoon at Latham Stadium.
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Mercer (24-6, 5-1 SoCon) overcame an early deficit with three runs in the sixth through eighth innings to take a 6-5 lead, only to see the Paladins (11-15, 1-5) square it up with a run of their own on a fielder's choice play in the home half of the ninth.
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A bunt single by Alex Hanson and an intentional walk of Ben Upton followed Crotty's 10th-inning double, giving way for JT Thomas to poke a ball up the middle for the eventual game-winning fielder's choice play. Josh Knies (2-0) earned the win with two inning of hitless relief while Kevin Coulter and Nick Spear were solid out of the the bullpen as well, combining for 7.1 innings.
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A solo home run by Charlie Madden, RBI single by Jackson Ware and Furman fielding error forced by a sharply hit ball from Trey Truitt in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, respectively, helped Mercer climb back into the contest.
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The Paladins opened with three runs in the first inning, all of which were credited to Bears starting pitcher Chase Burks, who did not make it out of the frame. Mercer quickly tied it up in the second with three runs of its own, led by a two-RBI double down the right-field line by Crotty.
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PLAYER OF THE GAME
Knies and Hanson split the honor as both played important roles in the sweep-clinching win. The senior right-hander has not allowed a hit in his last two appearances. Hanson submitted a well-rounded performance of two hits, one walk, one RBI, one run and one stolen base.
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STAT OF THE GAME
Mercer last swept a SoCon foe on the road April 8-10, 2016 when it defeated ETSU in Johnson City, Tennessee. The last time Furman was swept at home in a weekend series was March 2-4, 2014 at the hands of Georgia Southern.
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COACH GIBSON'S TAKE
"Sundays are tough to win on…I thought [Furman] played really well today. We had some chances early on against their starter but eventually just had to dig in and ended up having some good at bats late.
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"I'm really proud of Josh Knies and thought Nick Spear threw the ball well. Crotty made the mental mistake at third [base] in the ninth but responded with a double in extra innings and scored the winning run. We're pleased with the weekend – 5-1 in SoCon play is a good start."
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PITCHER'S OF RECORD
For complete coverage of Mercer Baseball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerBaseball (Twitter), /MercerBaseball (Facebook) and @Mercer.Baseball (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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Mercer (24-6, 5-1 SoCon) overcame an early deficit with three runs in the sixth through eighth innings to take a 6-5 lead, only to see the Paladins (11-15, 1-5) square it up with a run of their own on a fielder's choice play in the home half of the ninth.
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A bunt single by Alex Hanson and an intentional walk of Ben Upton followed Crotty's 10th-inning double, giving way for JT Thomas to poke a ball up the middle for the eventual game-winning fielder's choice play. Josh Knies (2-0) earned the win with two inning of hitless relief while Kevin Coulter and Nick Spear were solid out of the the bullpen as well, combining for 7.1 innings.
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A solo home run by Charlie Madden, RBI single by Jackson Ware and Furman fielding error forced by a sharply hit ball from Trey Truitt in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, respectively, helped Mercer climb back into the contest.
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The Paladins opened with three runs in the first inning, all of which were credited to Bears starting pitcher Chase Burks, who did not make it out of the frame. Mercer quickly tied it up in the second with three runs of its own, led by a two-RBI double down the right-field line by Crotty.
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PLAYER OF THE GAME
Knies and Hanson split the honor as both played important roles in the sweep-clinching win. The senior right-hander has not allowed a hit in his last two appearances. Hanson submitted a well-rounded performance of two hits, one walk, one RBI, one run and one stolen base.
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STAT OF THE GAME
Mercer last swept a SoCon foe on the road April 8-10, 2016 when it defeated ETSU in Johnson City, Tennessee. The last time Furman was swept at home in a weekend series was March 2-4, 2014 at the hands of Georgia Southern.
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COACH GIBSON'S TAKE
"Sundays are tough to win on…I thought [Furman] played really well today. We had some chances early on against their starter but eventually just had to dig in and ended up having some good at bats late.
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"I'm really proud of Josh Knies and thought Nick Spear threw the ball well. Crotty made the mental mistake at third [base] in the ninth but responded with a double in extra innings and scored the winning run. We're pleased with the weekend – 5-1 in SoCon play is a good start."
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PITCHER'S OF RECORD
- Win: Josh Knies, Mercer (2-0)
- Loss: Heath Hawkins, Furman (2-2)
- Mercer: 24-6 (5-1 SoCon)
- Furman: 11-15 (1-5 SoCon)
- Mercer: At Kennesaw State (6 p.m., Tuesday, April 4 in Kennesaw, Georgia)
- Furman: At South Carolina (7 p.m., Tuesday, April 4 in Kennesaw, Georgia)
- Mercer has swept four weekend series this year, the last two of which were on the road at East Carolina and Furman.
- The Bears are 21-6 all-time against Furman, including a 8-2 mark since joining the SoCon.
- Mercer improved to 10-3 on the road.
- Crotty went 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles and two RBIs in his first start in nearly two weeks.
- Hanson's 20th RBI of the season came on a game-tying sacrifice fly in the second. Hanson had one RBI in all three games this weekend.
- Charlie Madden's solo home run was his 12th of the year, marking a career-high for the senior catcher.
For complete coverage of Mercer Baseball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerBaseball (Twitter), /MercerBaseball (Facebook) and @Mercer.Baseball (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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