Saturday, March 10
Manhattan, Kan.
3 p.m.
Mercer University
12-4
11
at
4
Kansas State
9-5
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Mercer
0
0
1
1
6
0
0
1
2
11
12
0
Kansas State
0
0
2
0
1
0
0
1
0
4
8
2
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Broom, Robert (1-0)
L: Littlejim, Gabe (1-2)
Batting:
2B: Posas, David 1 ; Thomas, JT 1 ; Hanson, Alex 1 ; Wright, Cory 1 ; Yeager, RJ 1
3B: Dockus, Kyle 1
RBI: Posas, David 2 ; Bassett, Le 1 ; Hanson, Alex 1 ; Wright, Cory 1 ; Yeager, RJ 3 ; Dockus, Kyle 1
SH: Ware, Jackson 1 ; Dockus, Kyle 1
SF: Posas, David 1 ; Bassett, Le 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Truitt, Trey 1 ; Thomas, JT 1 ; Ammons, Jordan 1 ; Ware, Jackson 1 ; Hanson, Alex 2 ; Wright, Cory 2 ; Yeager, RJ 3
SB: Truitt, Trey 1
HBP: Thomas, JT 1 ; Bassett, Le 1
Batting:
2B: Brennan, Will 2 ; Watts, Dylan 1
RBI: Brennan, Will 2 ; Thompson, Cameron 1
SH: Watts, Dylan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Barfield, Kyle 1 ; Watts, Dylan 2 ; Owen, Brett 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
5
R
0
H
2
RBI
2
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
IF
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
IF
/ BaseballBears Even Series with 11-4 Win at Kansas State
3/10/2018 6:24:00 PM | Baseball
Six-run fifth inning keys the road victory
MANHATTAN, Kan. – A six-run fifth inning and strong performances on the mound by Austin Cox and Robert Broom powered Mercer to a series-tying 11-4 win over Kansas State at Tionton Family Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Â
Cox and Broom combined for 15 strikeouts and held a Kansas State (9-5) offense that plated 12 runs Friday to one-third of that total. Mercer (12-4) tallied six hits with runners in scoring position and took advantage of two Wildcat errors to bash out 11 runs.
Â
Mercer struck first in the third inning with a sacrifice fly by David Posas, scoring RJ Yeager from third base. Yeager reached with a leadoff walk and advanced two bases on a bloop single by Trey Truitt. After the Wildcats responded with two runs in the home half of the third, Mercer tied it up the following frame on Yeager's two-out single. The hit scored Alex Hanson, who doubled down the left-field line.
Â
The Bears broke loose in the fifth, taking an 8-2 advantage by batting around the order for six runs on six hits. Hanson (single), Cory Wright (double), Yeager (double) and Kyle Dockus (triple) all racked up RBIs on consecutive hits and knocked Kansas State starter Gabe Littlejim out of the game.
Â
With a two-out, bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the fifth, Cox was relieved by Broom, who forced a ground out to second base. The Wildcats earned one run back in the frame, but Mercer kept the potential rally at bay.
Â
It was all Broom the rest of the afternoon. The junior right-hander finished with 3.1 innings of relief in which he limited Kansas State to one run on four hits while striking out seven. Mercer added three runs in the final two innings and Nick Spear recorded the final three outs of the game to seal the series-tying victory.
Â
Coach Gibson's Take
Opening statement:
"This win started, first and foremost, on the mound," said head coach Craig Gibson. "That's how you beat a good team on the road: great starting pitching.
Â
"[Austin Cox] struck out the side in the first inning and set the tone. [Robert] Broom and [Nick] Spear come in later and are lights out…it's hard to beat those three in a single game. It's pretty impressive for our guys to come in here and strike out 17 batters on [Kansas State's] field, especially after getting humbled yesterday. This win tells me a lot about our team; the fight…the grit…the challenge."
Â
On the offense hitting with runners in scoring position:
"[Willie] Stewart did a good job with our guys in pregame by mixing our approach up. We had some two-strike rounds and two-out rounds. Guys really came through with big at bats today to get us on the board early and often."
Â
Stat of the Game
After going 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position in Friday's loss, Mercer flipped the script and went 6-for-14 in such situations Saturday.
Â
Player of the Game
Freshman RJ Yeager contributed six of Mercer's 11 runs Saturday, going 2-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored. After opening the third inning with a walk and scoring Mercer's first run, Yeager singled and doubled in the fourth and fifth.
Â
After hitting .171 through the first 11 games of the season, Yeager is 10-for-22 (.454) with eight RBI and four extra base hits in the last five games.
Â
Pitchers of Record
» Win: Robert Broom (1-0)
» Loss: Gabe Littlejim (1-2)
Â
Record Update
» Mercer: 12-4
» Kansas State: 9-5
Â
Up Next
» Mercer: At Kansas State (2 p.m. ET Sunday, March 11 in Manhattan, Kan.)
» Kansas State: Hosts Mercer (2 p.m. ET Sunday, March 11 in Manhattan, Kan.)
Â
Notables
» After recording only six strikeouts in Friday's loss, Mercer got back on track with 17 punch outs Saturday. Mercer has tallied double-digit strikeouts in 14 of 16 games.
» Kansas State's No. 2-6 batters went 0-for-20 with 12 strikeouts Saturday.
» Cox has struck out at least eight batters in all four of his starters. Broom has struck out at least five batters in four relief appearances, including seven Saturday.
» Truitt extended his hit streak to eight games. He has reached base in 14 straight games and has four multi-hit performances in the last five games.
» Dockus' triple was his first extra base hit as a Bear.
» Posas has four hits and four RBI through two games this series.
» Mercer improved to 5-4 all-time against Big 12 Conference teams.
» Mercer is 2-1 away from OrthoGeorgia Park this season.
» The win marked Kansas State's first loss at Tionton Family Stadium this season.
Â
Follow the Bears
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.
Â
Â
Cox and Broom combined for 15 strikeouts and held a Kansas State (9-5) offense that plated 12 runs Friday to one-third of that total. Mercer (12-4) tallied six hits with runners in scoring position and took advantage of two Wildcat errors to bash out 11 runs.
Â
Mercer struck first in the third inning with a sacrifice fly by David Posas, scoring RJ Yeager from third base. Yeager reached with a leadoff walk and advanced two bases on a bloop single by Trey Truitt. After the Wildcats responded with two runs in the home half of the third, Mercer tied it up the following frame on Yeager's two-out single. The hit scored Alex Hanson, who doubled down the left-field line.
Â
The Bears broke loose in the fifth, taking an 8-2 advantage by batting around the order for six runs on six hits. Hanson (single), Cory Wright (double), Yeager (double) and Kyle Dockus (triple) all racked up RBIs on consecutive hits and knocked Kansas State starter Gabe Littlejim out of the game.
Â
With a two-out, bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the fifth, Cox was relieved by Broom, who forced a ground out to second base. The Wildcats earned one run back in the frame, but Mercer kept the potential rally at bay.
Â
It was all Broom the rest of the afternoon. The junior right-hander finished with 3.1 innings of relief in which he limited Kansas State to one run on four hits while striking out seven. Mercer added three runs in the final two innings and Nick Spear recorded the final three outs of the game to seal the series-tying victory.
Â
Coach Gibson's Take
Opening statement:
"This win started, first and foremost, on the mound," said head coach Craig Gibson. "That's how you beat a good team on the road: great starting pitching.
Â
"[Austin Cox] struck out the side in the first inning and set the tone. [Robert] Broom and [Nick] Spear come in later and are lights out…it's hard to beat those three in a single game. It's pretty impressive for our guys to come in here and strike out 17 batters on [Kansas State's] field, especially after getting humbled yesterday. This win tells me a lot about our team; the fight…the grit…the challenge."
Â
On the offense hitting with runners in scoring position:
"[Willie] Stewart did a good job with our guys in pregame by mixing our approach up. We had some two-strike rounds and two-out rounds. Guys really came through with big at bats today to get us on the board early and often."
Â
Stat of the Game
After going 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position in Friday's loss, Mercer flipped the script and went 6-for-14 in such situations Saturday.
Â
Player of the Game
Freshman RJ Yeager contributed six of Mercer's 11 runs Saturday, going 2-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored. After opening the third inning with a walk and scoring Mercer's first run, Yeager singled and doubled in the fourth and fifth.
Â
After hitting .171 through the first 11 games of the season, Yeager is 10-for-22 (.454) with eight RBI and four extra base hits in the last five games.
Â
Pitchers of Record
» Win: Robert Broom (1-0)
» Loss: Gabe Littlejim (1-2)
Â
Record Update
» Mercer: 12-4
» Kansas State: 9-5
Â
Up Next
» Mercer: At Kansas State (2 p.m. ET Sunday, March 11 in Manhattan, Kan.)
» Kansas State: Hosts Mercer (2 p.m. ET Sunday, March 11 in Manhattan, Kan.)
Â
Notables
» After recording only six strikeouts in Friday's loss, Mercer got back on track with 17 punch outs Saturday. Mercer has tallied double-digit strikeouts in 14 of 16 games.
» Kansas State's No. 2-6 batters went 0-for-20 with 12 strikeouts Saturday.
» Cox has struck out at least eight batters in all four of his starters. Broom has struck out at least five batters in four relief appearances, including seven Saturday.
» Truitt extended his hit streak to eight games. He has reached base in 14 straight games and has four multi-hit performances in the last five games.
» Dockus' triple was his first extra base hit as a Bear.
» Posas has four hits and four RBI through two games this series.
» Mercer improved to 5-4 all-time against Big 12 Conference teams.
» Mercer is 2-1 away from OrthoGeorgia Park this season.
» The win marked Kansas State's first loss at Tionton Family Stadium this season.
Â
Follow the Bears
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.
Â
Mercer 22, Wofford 21 | Postgame Press Conference (9/13/25)
Sunday, September 14
Mercer Football 2025 | vs. Wofford | Full Game Highlights
Sunday, September 14
Mercer Football Press Conference (Week 3 vs. Wofford)
Monday, September 08
Mercer v. South Florida Men's Soccer Highlight Reel: 9/7/2025
Monday, September 08
