Sunday, March 11
Manhattan, Kan.
1 p.m.
Mercer University
12-5
6
at
13
Kansas State
10-5
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Mercer
1
1
3
0
0
0
1
0
0
6
11
1
Kansas State
3
0
0
3
0
1
2
4
X
13
19
3
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Marolf, Jared (1-1)
L: Burks, Chase (2-1)
Batting:
2B: Yeager, RJ 1
RBI: Truitt, Trey 1 ; Posas, David 1 ; Hanson, Alex 1 ; Yeager, RJ 2
SH: Truitt, Trey 1 ; Hanson, Alex 1 ; Dockus, Kyle 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Truitt, Trey 1 ; Ware, Jackson 1 ; Wright, Cory 1 ; Yeager, RJ 3
SB: Posas, David 1
HBP: Ware, Jackson 1 ; Wright, Cory 1
Batting:
2B: Brennan, Will 1 ; Ausmus, Rainer 2 ; Watts, Dylan 1
RBI: Brennan, Will 2 ; Owen, Brett 3 ; Mount, Drew 3 ; Ausmus, Rainer 2 ; McMaster, Trent 1 ; Watts, Dylan 1
SH: McWhertor, TK 1 ; Harker, Hanz 1
SF: Owen, Brett 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Brennan, Will 3 ; Mount, Drew 1 ; Thompson, Cameron 1 ; Ausmus, Rainer 1 ; Barfield, Kyle 1 ; Littlejim, Caleb 1 ; Harker, Hanz 2 ; Watts, Dylan 2 ; Passino, Jaxon 1
SB: Brennan, Will 1 ; Mount, Drew 2 ; Barfield, Kyle 1 ; Maxson, Jordan 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
Photo by: Cooper Kinley
Bears Falter in Series Finale at Kansas State
3/11/2018 5:38:00 PM | Baseball
Mercer knocks 11 hits in Sunday’s rubber match
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Mercer was unable to hold a two-run lead early in Sunday's rubber match as Kansas State scored 10 of the final 11 runs to defeat the Bears, 13-6, and claim the series win at Tionton Family Stadium.
The Bears (12-5) held a 5-3 advantage heading into the home half of the fourth inning but saw Kansas State (10-5) plate three runs to claim a lead it never surrendered. The loss marked only Mercer's fifth series loss in 31 series dating back to the start of the 2016 season.
A RBI infield single by David Posas cut Kansas State's lead to 7-6 in the seventh, but the Wildcats would respond with six runs off Mercer relievers Nick Spear and Kevin Coulter in the following two frames. Chase Burks (2-1) took the loss, going four innings while allowing six runs on nine hits. He struck out six batters and allowed only one walk.
Mercer claimed its two-run lead early on with four runs over the second and third innings. RJ Yeager scored on a Kansas State fielding error in the second and then gave Mercer the lead with a two-run double in the third, scoring Cory Wright and Jackson Ware. A safety squeeze by Truitt added one run, giving Mercer a 5-3 lead.
Coach Gibson's Take
Opening statement:
"I thought Chase Burks had a solid start on the mound for us today but we gave [Kansas State] five outs in the first inning after not getting a routine groundball and misplaying a shallow fly ball to left field," said head coach Craig Gibson. "I was proud of the way we fought back…the ball game just got out of hand late.
"Today should've been a 7-6 game. Overall, this was a good trip for us where we learned a lot about ourselves. We have to get back to Macon and recharge so we can be ready to go against a good club in Georgia Southern on Wednesday."
Player of the Game
Freshman RJ Yeager rounded out a strong series with a 2-for-4 performance. He was responsible for five of Mercer's six runs, scoring three times while driving home a pair. The Lynn Haven, Fla., native went 6-for-11 with seven runs scored and four RBI for the series.
Pitchers of Record
» Win: Jared Marolf (1-1)
» Loss: Chase Burks (2-1)
Record Update
» Mercer: 12-5
» Kansas State: 10-5
Up Next
» Mercer: Hosts Georgia Southern (6 p.m. Wednesday, March 14 at OrthoGeorgia Park)
» Kansas State: Hosts Creighton (7:30 p.m. ET Tuesday, March 13 in Manhattan, Kan.)
Notables
» Mercer fell to 5-5 all-time against the current nine Big 12 Conference teams.
» David Posas thrived in the two-hole this weekend, collecting six hits and five RBI.
» Truitt's fifth multi-hit performance in the last six games extended his hit streak to nine games.
» Burks tied a season-high with six strikeouts. He also surrendered a season-high nine hits.
» All but one of Mercer's starting nine hitters collected at least one hit.
» Coulter's relief appearance was the fifth of his career.
» Mercer struck out nine batters, marking only the third time this season the Bears haven't reached double-digits in the category.
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.
The Bears (12-5) held a 5-3 advantage heading into the home half of the fourth inning but saw Kansas State (10-5) plate three runs to claim a lead it never surrendered. The loss marked only Mercer's fifth series loss in 31 series dating back to the start of the 2016 season.
A RBI infield single by David Posas cut Kansas State's lead to 7-6 in the seventh, but the Wildcats would respond with six runs off Mercer relievers Nick Spear and Kevin Coulter in the following two frames. Chase Burks (2-1) took the loss, going four innings while allowing six runs on nine hits. He struck out six batters and allowed only one walk.
Mercer claimed its two-run lead early on with four runs over the second and third innings. RJ Yeager scored on a Kansas State fielding error in the second and then gave Mercer the lead with a two-run double in the third, scoring Cory Wright and Jackson Ware. A safety squeeze by Truitt added one run, giving Mercer a 5-3 lead.
Coach Gibson's Take
Opening statement:
"I thought Chase Burks had a solid start on the mound for us today but we gave [Kansas State] five outs in the first inning after not getting a routine groundball and misplaying a shallow fly ball to left field," said head coach Craig Gibson. "I was proud of the way we fought back…the ball game just got out of hand late.
"Today should've been a 7-6 game. Overall, this was a good trip for us where we learned a lot about ourselves. We have to get back to Macon and recharge so we can be ready to go against a good club in Georgia Southern on Wednesday."
Player of the Game
Freshman RJ Yeager rounded out a strong series with a 2-for-4 performance. He was responsible for five of Mercer's six runs, scoring three times while driving home a pair. The Lynn Haven, Fla., native went 6-for-11 with seven runs scored and four RBI for the series.
Pitchers of Record
» Win: Jared Marolf (1-1)
» Loss: Chase Burks (2-1)
Record Update
» Mercer: 12-5
» Kansas State: 10-5
Up Next
» Mercer: Hosts Georgia Southern (6 p.m. Wednesday, March 14 at OrthoGeorgia Park)
» Kansas State: Hosts Creighton (7:30 p.m. ET Tuesday, March 13 in Manhattan, Kan.)
Notables
» Mercer fell to 5-5 all-time against the current nine Big 12 Conference teams.
» David Posas thrived in the two-hole this weekend, collecting six hits and five RBI.
» Truitt's fifth multi-hit performance in the last six games extended his hit streak to nine games.
» Burks tied a season-high with six strikeouts. He also surrendered a season-high nine hits.
» All but one of Mercer's starting nine hitters collected at least one hit.
» Coulter's relief appearance was the fifth of his career.
» Mercer struck out nine batters, marking only the third time this season the Bears haven't reached double-digits in the category.
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.
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