Friday, May 26
Greenville, S.C.
3:50 p.m.
Mercer University
39-17
4
vs
5
#6 Samford
33-25
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 0 |
| Samford | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 2 |
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Wyatt Burns (5-1)
L: Broom, Robert (8-2)
Batting:
2B: Thomas, JT 1 ; Truitt, Trey 1
HR: Hagan, Ryan 1
RBI: Hagan, Ryan 2 ; Thomas, JT 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Hagan, Ryan 1 ; Hanson, Alex 1 ; Crotty, Alex 1 ; Truitt, Trey 1
SB: Hanson, Alex 1
CS: Thomas, JT 1
Batting:
2B: Ayrton Schafer 2
HR: Anthony Mulrine 1
RBI: Ayrton Schafer 3 ; Austin Edens 1 ; Anthony Mulrine 1
SH: Branden Fryman 1
Base Running:
RUNS: T.J. Dixon 1 ; Branden Fryman 1 ; Ayrton Schafer 1 ; Anthony Mulrine 1 ; Taylor Garris 1
SB: T.J. Dixon 1
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
RHP
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/ BaseballPhoto by: Southern Conference
Mercer Ousted From SoCon Championship in Heartbreaker
5/26/2017 7:28:00 PM | Baseball
Top-seeded Bears go 1-2 at conference tournament
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Top-seeded Mercer was eliminated from the Southern Conference Championship presented by Holston Gases as No. 6 Samford's Ayrton Schafer hit a two-out walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth, sealing a 5-4 loss for the Bears Friday at Fluor Field.
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The Bears (39-17) went back-and-forth with Samford (33-25) throughout the contest prior to the walk-off, which came on back-to-back hits by Branden Fryman and Schafer. Robert Broom (8-2) took the loss for Mercer despite striking out a trio over 2.2 innings. Samford will face the winner of No. 9 VMI and No. 7 ETSU at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
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Both teams traded blows over the third and fourth frames, highlighted by home runs from Ryan Hagan – a go-ahead two-run shot in the top of the fourth – and Samford's Anthony Mulrine, who tied it up, 4-4, in the home half. Mercer delivered the first blow of the game an inning earlier with a two-run single by JT Thomas that scored Trey Truitt and Alex Hanson. However, Samford responded with a five-hit frame and plated three. Hagan's long ball came on the first pitch thrown by Samford reliever Josh Rich, who replaced starter Stephen Jones after 3.2 innings.
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Senior Ryan Askew went 5.2 frames in a gritty effort, leaving the game tied, 4-4, with two outs in the sixth. He retired six in a row toward the end of the performance before giving way to Christian Vann, who got a fly out to strand a pair of Bulldogs. Broom went the rest of the way, limiting the Bulldogs to only two hits before the walk-off double.
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Mercer saw a go-ahead opportunity disappear in the top of the eighth as David Posas was thrown out at the plate on a throw by left fielder Kevin Williams Jr. Posas reached on an infield single and attempted to score on Trey Truitt's single through the left side.
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Coach Gibson's Take
"It was a great baseball game…we just happened to come out on the short end of it. Samford played really well. They pitched well and so did we. [Samford] just happened to get the big hit late in the game.
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"I can't say enough about our senior class. They're just the total package in terms of four great years, all graduates, just everything they've done for this program. Their legacy is going to be one of the greatest at Mercer."
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Player of the Game
JT Thomas was Mr. Consistent once again for Mercer as he went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a walk while catching all nine innings. The junior slugged a two-run single in the third and added a double later on. He finished his first SoCon Championship 7-for-13 with seven RBIs.
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Stat of the Game
Mercer's 39 wins are tied for the second most in a single season in program history with the 2011 and 1981 teams.
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Pitchers of Record
For complete coverage of Mercer Baseball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerBaseball (Twitter), /MercerBaseball (Facebook), @Mercer.Baseball (Instagram) and Mercer Bears (Snapchat) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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The Bears (39-17) went back-and-forth with Samford (33-25) throughout the contest prior to the walk-off, which came on back-to-back hits by Branden Fryman and Schafer. Robert Broom (8-2) took the loss for Mercer despite striking out a trio over 2.2 innings. Samford will face the winner of No. 9 VMI and No. 7 ETSU at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
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Both teams traded blows over the third and fourth frames, highlighted by home runs from Ryan Hagan – a go-ahead two-run shot in the top of the fourth – and Samford's Anthony Mulrine, who tied it up, 4-4, in the home half. Mercer delivered the first blow of the game an inning earlier with a two-run single by JT Thomas that scored Trey Truitt and Alex Hanson. However, Samford responded with a five-hit frame and plated three. Hagan's long ball came on the first pitch thrown by Samford reliever Josh Rich, who replaced starter Stephen Jones after 3.2 innings.
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Senior Ryan Askew went 5.2 frames in a gritty effort, leaving the game tied, 4-4, with two outs in the sixth. He retired six in a row toward the end of the performance before giving way to Christian Vann, who got a fly out to strand a pair of Bulldogs. Broom went the rest of the way, limiting the Bulldogs to only two hits before the walk-off double.
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Mercer saw a go-ahead opportunity disappear in the top of the eighth as David Posas was thrown out at the plate on a throw by left fielder Kevin Williams Jr. Posas reached on an infield single and attempted to score on Trey Truitt's single through the left side.
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Coach Gibson's Take
"It was a great baseball game…we just happened to come out on the short end of it. Samford played really well. They pitched well and so did we. [Samford] just happened to get the big hit late in the game.
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"I can't say enough about our senior class. They're just the total package in terms of four great years, all graduates, just everything they've done for this program. Their legacy is going to be one of the greatest at Mercer."
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Player of the Game
JT Thomas was Mr. Consistent once again for Mercer as he went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a walk while catching all nine innings. The junior slugged a two-run single in the third and added a double later on. He finished his first SoCon Championship 7-for-13 with seven RBIs.
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Stat of the Game
Mercer's 39 wins are tied for the second most in a single season in program history with the 2011 and 1981 teams.
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Pitchers of Record
- Win: Wyatt Burns, Samford (5-1)
- Loss: Robert Broom, Mercer (8-2)
- #1 Mercer: 39-17
- #6 Samford: 33-25
- #1 Mercer: Eliminated from SoCon Championship
- #6 Samford: Winner of #7 ETSU and #9 VMI (3:30 p.m., Saturday, May 27 at Fluor Field)
- The Bears fell to 9-4 all-time at the SoCon Championship. They are 1-1 against Samford in such contests.
- Mercer collected double-digit hits in all three SoCon Championship games, including 10 against the Bulldogs.
- Alex Hanson ended his season on a 26-game reached base streak. He had at least one hit in each tournament game.
- Hagan's ninth home run of the season was Mercer's 19th in 12 SoCon Championship games.
- Askew's 83.2 innings pitched this season are the second most in his career.
- Alex Crotty and Trey Truitt both went 2-for-4 with one run scored.
- David Posas picked up his first collegiate hit in an eighth-inning pinch-hit opportunity.
For complete coverage of Mercer Baseball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerBaseball (Twitter), /MercerBaseball (Facebook), @Mercer.Baseball (Instagram) and Mercer Bears (Snapchat) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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