Mercer University
Samford
Mercer Falls to Samford, 3-1, in Series Finale
4/3/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Mercer University baseball team dropped the series finale, 3-1, to Samford on Sunday afternoon at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Samford grabbed a 1-0 lead on Hunter Swilling's solo home run in the first inning, but Mercer starter Kevin Coulter would settle in to hold the Bulldogs scoreless over the next six frames. The Bears' offense, which was stymied by Samford starter Parker Curry for most of the contest, broke through with the tying run in the top of the seventh, as Matt Meeder recorded Mercer's third straight hit to score Charlie Madden.
However, the Bulldogs moved back in front in the bottom of the eighth, as Heath Quinn hit a two-run homer for a 3-1 advantage. The Bears were unable to rally in the ninth, as Wyatt Burns closed out the game for his second save of the year.
KEY TO THE GAME
In a game that saw the two teams only notch a combined four hits with runners on base, it was the long ball that proved to be the difference for Samford. The Bulldogs scored all three of their runs via a home run.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Kevin Coulter had his best outing since tossing 5.2 scoreless frames in his collegiate debut against Radford, as the freshman went a career-high 6.1 innings while giving up just one run on seven hits. He closed his day with five straight scoreless innings, while striking out three.
COACH GIBSON'S TAKE
"Their starter Parker Curry did a great job for them today and we didn't have many chances all game long. It's tough to win with one run, but I can't say enough about Kevin Coulter and what he did for us today. Austin Lord and Conard Broom were also great, so we can take some good things from this series and get ready for Georgia Tech on Tuesday."
NOTABLES
- The Bears are now 38-29 in the all-time series with Samford.
- Mercer lost a weekend series for just the first time in eight series this season.
- Broom was tagged with the loss, the first of his career, after allowing an opponent to score for just the second time in his last seven appearances. It also marked his 19th appearance of the year, which leads the nation.
- Lord recorded the final out of the eighth inning to stretch his scoreless appearance streak to eight games.
- Ryan Hagan reached based in each of his four at-bats, marking the 29th straight game has reached. The junior finished 2-for-2 at the plate with a pair of walks for his team-leading 15 multiple-hit performances this season.
- Kyle Lewis' walk in the third helped him reach base for the 29th straight game as well.
- Hunter Bening stretched his hitting streak to six games with a double in the second inning.
- Meeder finished 2-for-4 at the plate, pushing his hit total to six on the weekend.
RECORDS UPDATE
Mercer falls to to 17-12 overall and 3-3 in the SoCon, while Samford moves to 16-12 overall and 3-3 in league play.
UP NEXT
The Bears return to Claude Smith Field on Tuesday, Apr. 5, as they play host to No. 18 Georgia Tech. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
