Friday, April 27
Macon, Ga.
6 p.m.
Mercer University
29-15, 0
1
vs
4
VMI
23-18, 0
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VMI | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
| Mercer | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
IF
/ BaseballTeam Stats
Pitching:
W: Josh Winder (4-4)
L: Cox, Austin (6-3)
Batting:
2B: Matt Pita 1 ; Will Malbon 1 ; Jake Huggins 1
RBI: Collin Fleischer 1 ; Jake Huggins 2 ; Callen Nuccio 1
SH: Nathan Eaton 1 ; Jacob Jaye 1
SF: Callen Nuccio 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Matt Pita 1 ; Matt Dunlevy 1 ; Jacob Jaye 2
CS: Matt Pita 1
HBP: Jacob Jaye 1
Batting:
HR: Bassett, Le 1
RBI: Bassett, Le 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bassett, Le 1
Game Leaders
Photo by: Tim Casey & Allison Curry
Mercer Stifled in Series-Opening Loss to VMI
4/27/2018 9:15:00 PM | Baseball
VMI’s Josh Winder goes the distance Friday in Macon
MACON, Ga. – VMI starting pitcher Josh Winder tossed a complete game and limited Mercer to one run on five hits as the Bears fell, 4-1, in a Southern Conference series opener Friday night at OrthoGeorgia Park.
The Bears (29-15, 8-8 SoCon) did not get a base runner past first base until the eighth inning as Winder struck out 10 Bears in front of a home crowd of 1,010. A solo home run by Le Bassett led off the home half of the eighth and served as Mercer's lone run.
Austin Cox and Winder established a pitcher's duel over the first three innings of play; Cox scattered three hits while striking out four Keydets while Winder held the Bears hitless. Trouble struck for Mercer in the fourth, however, when VMI (23-18, 10-6) scored twice on a two-run double down the right-field line after Cox walked the first two batters of the frame.
RJ Yeager broke up Winder's early no-hit bid in the fourth with a single, but Mercer did not collect another hit until the seventh on a single by Jackson Ware. VMI scored one run in both the fifth and sixth innings to take a four-run advantage before Bassett's long ball cut the lead to three.
A pair of singles by Alex Hanson and Trey Truitt made things interesting in the ninth before Winder closed it out. Cox (6-3) tossed seven innings for the third time this season despite taking the loss. He struck out six batters but issued five walks and allowed eight hits.
Postgame Quotes
Coach Gibson's opening statement:
"[Josh] Winder was outstanding for VMI; he didn't give us many opportunities in a tough loss for us," said head coach Craig Gibson. "Defensively, we made a couple mistakes by throwing the ball to the wrong base and not getting the ball back to the pitcher…those mistakes cost us two runs in what was a really closely fought game.
"Tip your cap to their guy tonight. We have to bring more fight to the plate in order to even the series against a really experienced VMI club."
Records Update
» Mercer: 29-15 (8-8 SoCon)
» VMI: 23-18 (10-6 SoCon)
Pitchers of Record
» Win: Josh Winder (4-4)
» Loss: Austin Cox (6-3)
Up Next
» Mercer: Hosts VMI (2 p.m. Saturday, April 28 in Macon, Ga.)
» VMI: At Mercer (2 p.m. Saturday, April 28 in Macon, Ga.)
Notables
» Mercer is 13-5-1 all-time against VMI.
» Craig Gibson (499-346) remains one win away from career victory No. 500.
» Bassett's home run was his eighth of the season. Only Truitt (10) has more for Mercer.
» Hanson (1-for-4) reached base safely for the 67th time in 69 games dating back to last season. He extended his hit streak to six games, a season-long.
» Kevin Coulter and Nick Spear combined for two scoreless innings of relief. Both struck out one batter apiece.
» Ware reached base for the 10th straight game.
» Cox struck out six Keydets to reach 91 strikeouts on the season. He totaled 91 strikeouts as a sophomore in 2017.
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 (29-15, 8-8 SoCon) did not get a base runner past first base until the eighth inning as Winder struck out 10 Bears in front of a home crowd of 1,010. A solo home run by Le Bassett led off the home half of the eighth and served as Mercer's lone run.
Austin Cox and Winder established a pitcher's duel over the first three innings of play; Cox scattered three hits while striking out four Keydets while Winder held the Bears hitless. Trouble struck for Mercer in the fourth, however, when VMI (23-18, 10-6) scored twice on a two-run double down the right-field line after Cox walked the first two batters of the frame.
RJ Yeager broke up Winder's early no-hit bid in the fourth with a single, but Mercer did not collect another hit until the seventh on a single by Jackson Ware. VMI scored one run in both the fifth and sixth innings to take a four-run advantage before Bassett's long ball cut the lead to three.
A pair of singles by Alex Hanson and Trey Truitt made things interesting in the ninth before Winder closed it out. Cox (6-3) tossed seven innings for the third time this season despite taking the loss. He struck out six batters but issued five walks and allowed eight hits.
Postgame Quotes
Coach Gibson's opening statement:
"[Josh] Winder was outstanding for VMI; he didn't give us many opportunities in a tough loss for us," said head coach Craig Gibson. "Defensively, we made a couple mistakes by throwing the ball to the wrong base and not getting the ball back to the pitcher…those mistakes cost us two runs in what was a really closely fought game.
"Tip your cap to their guy tonight. We have to bring more fight to the plate in order to even the series against a really experienced VMI club."
Records Update
» Mercer: 29-15 (8-8 SoCon)
» VMI: 23-18 (10-6 SoCon)
Pitchers of Record
» Win: Josh Winder (4-4)
» Loss: Austin Cox (6-3)
Up Next
» Mercer: Hosts VMI (2 p.m. Saturday, April 28 in Macon, Ga.)
» VMI: At Mercer (2 p.m. Saturday, April 28 in Macon, Ga.)
Notables
» Mercer is 13-5-1 all-time against VMI.
» Craig Gibson (499-346) remains one win away from career victory No. 500.
» Bassett's home run was his eighth of the season. Only Truitt (10) has more for Mercer.
» Hanson (1-for-4) reached base safely for the 67th time in 69 games dating back to last season. He extended his hit streak to six games, a season-long.
» Kevin Coulter and Nick Spear combined for two scoreless innings of relief. Both struck out one batter apiece.
» Ware reached base for the 10th straight game.
» Cox struck out six Keydets to reach 91 strikeouts on the season. He totaled 91 strikeouts as a sophomore in 2017.
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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