Friday, April 7
Macon, Ga.
6 p.m.
Mercer University
26-6, 0
4
vs
2
Samford
19-11, 0
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samford | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0 |
| Mercer | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | X | 4 | 10 | 1 |
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Askew, Ryan (4-0)
L: Mikhail Cazenave (2-4)
Batting:
2B: Kevin Williams, Jr. 1 ; Sam Teague 1
RBI: Jordan Fucci 1 ; Taylor Garris 1
SH: T.J. Dixon 1 ; Branden Fryman 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Troy Dixon 1 ; Sam Teague 1
SB: Troy Dixon 1
Batting:
2B: Hanson, Alex 1 ; Ware, Jackson 1
HR: Thomas, JT 1 ; Bening, Hunter 1
RBI: Hanson, Alex 1 ; Thomas, JT 1 ; Bening, Hunter 1 ; Crotty, Alex 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hagan, Ryan 1 ; Thomas, JT 1 ; Bening, Hunter 1 ; Ware, Jackson 1
SB: Truitt, Trey 1
CS: Hanson, Alex 2
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
RHP
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INF
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Photo by: Bill Hirsh
Askew Shines as Mercer Defeats Samford in Series Opener
4/7/2017 9:24:00 PM | Baseball
Senior right-hander strikes out seven in first career complete game
MACON, Ga. – Mercer's Ryan Askew was masterful on the mound Friday night as he tossed his first career complete game, leading Mercer to a 4-2 win over Samford in their Southern Conference series opener at OrthoGeorgia Park.
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Askew needed only 105 pitches and retired the final six batters of the game in a row as he improved to 4-0 on the year. The complete-game performance was his first in 44 career starts as he did not allow a walk all night and used seven strikeouts to his advantage.
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Mercer (26-6, 6-1 SoCon) won its fifth straight game to remain in sole possession of first place in the conference standings while handing Samford (19-11, 2-2) its second Friday loss in as many weeks.
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Askew received early run support in the first inning in the form of Alex Hanson's RBI double to left-center field, which scored Ryan Hagan after a leadoff single. Samford would tie it in the second, only to see Mercer reclaim the lead on a RBI single by Alex Crotty in the home half. The Bears would go on to score their final two runs on solo home runs by Hunter Bening and JT Thomas in the fourth and seventh frames.
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PLAYER OF THE GAME
A career-performance by Askew is enough to earn him the nod. The righty worked around nine Samford hits by using two double plays and four strikeouts over the final four frames of play. It was Askew's first career win over Samford as well.
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STAT OF THE GAME
The Bears went 5-for-8 collectively at the leadoff spot Friday night with two of those hits translating to eventual runs. Hagan led of the game with a single and scored while Jackson Ware doubled to lead off the second and score.
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COACH GIBSON'S TAKE
"That was a great Friday-night effort by Ryan Askew. We've got some unbelievable arms in this league with [Will] Gaddis and guys at UNCG and VMI, but I think our guy is as good as anyone. Needing only 105 pitches to get through this lineup in this park…what a great effort.
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"It means a lot to open the series with a win. It takes a great effort. I've told our staff that Askew is a great guy to learn from…he may be one of the best guys we've ever had here."
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RYAN ASKEW'S INPUT
"It's massive to start off any weekend series with the win on Friday. As a starting pitcher, if you can keep your team in [the game] on a Friday, regardless of win or lose, everyone is confident going into games two and three. My defense has been playing great behind me and I was able to go out there and eat up plenty of innings for my team."
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PITCHER'S OF RECORD
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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Askew needed only 105 pitches and retired the final six batters of the game in a row as he improved to 4-0 on the year. The complete-game performance was his first in 44 career starts as he did not allow a walk all night and used seven strikeouts to his advantage.
Â
Mercer (26-6, 6-1 SoCon) won its fifth straight game to remain in sole possession of first place in the conference standings while handing Samford (19-11, 2-2) its second Friday loss in as many weeks.
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Askew received early run support in the first inning in the form of Alex Hanson's RBI double to left-center field, which scored Ryan Hagan after a leadoff single. Samford would tie it in the second, only to see Mercer reclaim the lead on a RBI single by Alex Crotty in the home half. The Bears would go on to score their final two runs on solo home runs by Hunter Bening and JT Thomas in the fourth and seventh frames.
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PLAYER OF THE GAME
A career-performance by Askew is enough to earn him the nod. The righty worked around nine Samford hits by using two double plays and four strikeouts over the final four frames of play. It was Askew's first career win over Samford as well.
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STAT OF THE GAME
The Bears went 5-for-8 collectively at the leadoff spot Friday night with two of those hits translating to eventual runs. Hagan led of the game with a single and scored while Jackson Ware doubled to lead off the second and score.
Â
COACH GIBSON'S TAKE
"That was a great Friday-night effort by Ryan Askew. We've got some unbelievable arms in this league with [Will] Gaddis and guys at UNCG and VMI, but I think our guy is as good as anyone. Needing only 105 pitches to get through this lineup in this park…what a great effort.
Â
"It means a lot to open the series with a win. It takes a great effort. I've told our staff that Askew is a great guy to learn from…he may be one of the best guys we've ever had here."
Â
RYAN ASKEW'S INPUT
"It's massive to start off any weekend series with the win on Friday. As a starting pitcher, if you can keep your team in [the game] on a Friday, regardless of win or lose, everyone is confident going into games two and three. My defense has been playing great behind me and I was able to go out there and eat up plenty of innings for my team."
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PITCHER'S OF RECORD
- Win: Ryan Askew, Mercer (4-0)
- Loss: Mikhail Cazenave, Samford (2-4)
- Mercer: 26-6 (6-1 SoCon)
- Samford: 19-11 (2-2 SoCon)
- Mercer: Hosts Samford (2 p.m. Saturday, April 7 at OrthoGeorgia Park)
- Samford: At Mercer (2 p.m. Saturday, April 7 at OrthoGeorgia Park)
- Mercer improved to 15-3 at OrthoGeorgia Park.
- The Bears' last complete game was by Kevin Coulter in a 6-1 win over Furman in the 2016 SoCon Championship quarterfinals on May 26, 2016.
- Both Thomas and Bening connected for their ninth home runs of the season, ranking them second on the team behind Charlie Madden (13).
- Ryan Hagan flashed the leather all night at shortstop, recording six assists to compliment his one hit and run scored.
- Six Bears extended their hit streaks Friday, including Danny Edgeworth, who tied his season-long of six games with an eighth-inning single.
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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