Coulter's Complete Game Lifts Mercer Past Furman in SoCon Quarterfinals

Thursday, May 26

Greenville, N.C.

4:50 p.m.

Mercer University

37-21

Furman University

28-29

Furman

Mercer

Coulter's Complete Game Lifts Mercer Past Furman in SoCon Quarterfinals

5/26/2016 4:00:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Mercer University baseball team advanced to the Southern Conference Championship semifinals for the second straight year, defeating Furman 6-1 on Thursday evening at Fluor Field thanks to a complete-game gem from freshman pitcher Kevin Coulter.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Mercer turned to the long ball early in its second game of the SoCon Championship, as Kyle Lewis' two-run shot down the right field line in the first inning resulted in an early 2-0 advantage.

The Bears scored again in the bottom of the fourth on Trey Truitt's RBI double down the left field line, before adding another score in the fifth as Ryan Hagan's safety squeeze plated Lewis for a 4-0 advantage.

Furman broke up Mercer starter Coulter's shutout bid in the top of the sixth, as a Jake Crawford double help set up Sky Overton's RBI to cut the Bears' lead to 4-1.

Mercer added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth, despite never putting a ball into fair territory. The Orange and Black were hit by a pitch twice and drew three walks in the frame, pushing their lead to 6-1 on Hagan's score via a wild pitch and Lewis' walk with the bases loaded.

KEY TO THE GAME
Mercer manufactured runs via long ball and small, providing enough offense for Coulter, who was in control from the start. The Buford, Ga., native only allowed two Paladins to advance past second base after limiting Furman to just 1-for-10 hitting with runners on base thanks in part to two double plays.

PLAYER OF THE GAME
Coulter's complete game was accomplished via a career-high nine innings tossed, as he kept the Furman lineup off balance all afternoon. The freshman needed only 96 pitches to go the distance, scattering seven hits and walking only one batter in Mercer's first complete-game effort of the season.

FROM THE PLAYERS
[Kevin Coulter on his performance]"I'm just trusting my stuff and my defense – I think that's crucial. We preach here to not walk people. I just know I have eight other guys behind me and Charlie (Madden) in front of me to make tremendous plays. They have my back no matter what."

[Kyle Lewis on the lineup's confidence after yesterday's fireworks] "Our confidence is the same as it's always been. Going into the game we felt that we had the best team, so we're through the roof right now to put ourselves in position to potentially repeat as champions."

COACH GIBSON'S TAKE
"We're playing our best baseball late this season. We've preached to these guys since August that we want to play our best baseball in May and June. Offensively, we're helping ourselves out, but you can't say enough about the pitching and defense."

"It's hard to say enough about Kevin Coulter's complete game. His maturity level is above a freshman right now and first and foremost, his mound presence is incredible. He's a strike thrower, he pitches to contact and defensively we helped him out with a couple double plays today."

NOTABLES

Mercer is now 6-0 all-time in SoCon Championship play and advances to the league's semifinals for the second straight year, after defeating The Citadel 8-1 in Charleston.
The Bears own an 18-6 advantage in the all-time series with Furman, having won 13 of the last 17 contests between the two programs.
The Orange and Black drew nine walks in the contest, increasing their SoCon single-season record total to 352. They fell one free pass shy of their 10th game with double-digit walks.
Mercer improves to 10-1 this season when holding opponents to less than three runs, having done so in each of its last four contests.
Coulter has given up just two runs over his last 17 innings. He now has six quality starts including one in each of his last two starts.
Lewis' first inning home run was his team-leading 19th of the season, helping him record his 16th multiple-RBI performance of the year. He added another RBI in the eighth thanks to a bases-loaded walk. His two walks move him into a tie with Dan McConnell for third on the SoCon single-season list with 63.
Danny Edgeworth extended his career-long on-base streak to 22 games with a single in each of his first two at-bats. He finished the day with a team-high two hits while scoring one run and drawing a walk.
Matt Meeder drew a free pass in each of his four plate appearances, setting a new career-high with four walks. It is his 10th game with multiple walks this season, pushing his season total to 44.
Truitt's RBI-double in the fifth gave him seven total in the 2016 SoCon Championship. The tournament record is 16, set in 2007 by Wofford's Brandon Waring.

RECORDS UPDATE
Mercer moves to 37-21 overall while Furman drops to 28-29 on the year.

UP NEXT
The Bears will take on the winner of tonight's Samford versus Western Carolina match-up on Saturday, May 28, at Fluor Field. First pitch will be set for noon.