Tuesday, March 27
Tallahassee, Fla.
4 p.m.
Mercer University
20-6
13
at
4
Florida A&M
11-17
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Mercer
0
3
2
5
2
0
1
0
0
13
16
0
Florida A&M
0
0
0
1
0
1
2
0
0
4
11
2
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Lord, Austin (1-0)
L: WILSON,Josh (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Crotty, Alex 1
HR: Yeager, RJ 2 ; Ware, Jackson 1
RBI: Hanson, Alex 1 ; Yeager, RJ 4 ; Ware, Jackson 4 ; McDermott, Sean 2 ; Dockus, Kyle 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hanson, Alex 2 ; Yeager, RJ 3 ; Thomas, JT 1 ; Truitt, Trey 2 ; Ware, Jackson 2 ; Posas, David 2 ; Dockus, Kyle 1
SB: Hanson, Alex 1 ; Yeager, RJ 1 ; Truitt, Trey 1 ; Dockus, Kyle 1
HBP: Hanson, Alex 1 ; McDermott, Sean 1
Batting:
RBI: MITCHELL,Malachi 1 ; RUSS,Kodi 1 ; CAPRA,John 2
SF: RUSS,Kodi 1 ; CAPRA,John 1
Base Running:
RUNS: OLIVER,Dallas 1 ; RUSS,Ty 1 ; BLANC,Eric Jr. 1 ; MOYER,Octavien 1
HBP: OLIVER,Dallas 1
Game Leaders
AB
6
R
2
H
3
RBI
4
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball1B
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
Photo by: Gerrit Van Genderen
Mercer Tames Rattlers in Nine-Run Road Win
3/27/2018 8:33:00 PM | Baseball
Bears erupt for 13 runs on 16 hits in Tallahassee
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Mercer flexed its offensive prowess as it defeated Florida A&M, 13-4, behind 16 hits in a season series rubber match at Moore-Kittles Field on Tuesday afternoon.
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The nine-run victory clinched the season series for Mercer (20-6) after the two teams split a pair at OrthoGeorgia Park in February. Florida A&M dropped to 11-17 overall.
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Sophomore Zach Graveno submitted his best outing of the season in his first start, allowing one run on three hits while striking out three Rattlers over four innings. Five Bears saw action on the mound, including Austin Lord, who earned the win with one inning of scoreless relief.
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Mercer opened the scoring with three runs in the second inning off RBI singles by Kyle Dockus and Alex Hanson as well as a RBI groundout by Sean McDermott. A two-run home run by Jackson Ware in the third made it a five-run advantage before the Bears extended their lead to double-digits in the following frame. RJ Yeager hit a two-run long ball – his first of two home runs – before heads-up base running by JT Thomas and Trey Truitt as well as a RBI single by McDermott opened the floodgates.
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Yeager (two-run home run) and Ware (RBI single) would provide the rest of the offensive production in the fifth and seventh innings, respectively, as Mercer's bullpen scattered four Florida A&M runs over the final four frames.
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Coach Gibson's Take
"We challenged our seniors to get us off to a good start today and I thought momentum swung our way on a diving catch by Alex Hanson that saved two runs in the first inning," said head coach Craig Gibson. "After that, we had a good inning offensively and really opened it up.
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"This was a win we really needed. I'm proud of Zach Graveno for getting us off to a great start on the mound. Defensively, we were pretty good. Hopefully we can springboard this win into a solid weekend in Johnson City [Tenn.] at ETSU."
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Player of the Game
A return to his home state of Florida and a jump in the batting order boded well for RJ Yeager, who went 3-for-5 with four RBI and a pair of home runs. The freshman, who was slotted in the two-hole for the first time, tallied his second and third long balls of the season in consecutive innings and added three runs and two walks.
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Records Update
» Mercer: 20-6
» Florida A&M: 11-17
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Pitchers of Record
» Win: Austin Lord (1-0)
» Loss: Josh Wilson (1-1)
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Up Next
» Mercer: At ETSU (6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 29 in Johnson City, Tenn.)
» Florida A&M: Hosts NC Central (1 p.m. Friday, March 30 in Tallahassee, Fla.)
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Notables
» All but one position starter recorded at least one hit.
» Mercer stole a season-high four bases (Hanson, Yeager, Trey Truitt and Kyle Dockus).
» Mercer's 16 hits are its third most in a single game this season.
» Mercer has scored 10-plus runs in 12 games.
» Truitt and Alex Hanson extended their reached base streaks to 24 games.
» Yeager's four RBI marked his sixth multi-RBI performance.
» Caleb Mitchell struck out the side in one inning of relief. The Bears totaled eight strikeouts as a staff.
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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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The nine-run victory clinched the season series for Mercer (20-6) after the two teams split a pair at OrthoGeorgia Park in February. Florida A&M dropped to 11-17 overall.
Â
Sophomore Zach Graveno submitted his best outing of the season in his first start, allowing one run on three hits while striking out three Rattlers over four innings. Five Bears saw action on the mound, including Austin Lord, who earned the win with one inning of scoreless relief.
Â
Mercer opened the scoring with three runs in the second inning off RBI singles by Kyle Dockus and Alex Hanson as well as a RBI groundout by Sean McDermott. A two-run home run by Jackson Ware in the third made it a five-run advantage before the Bears extended their lead to double-digits in the following frame. RJ Yeager hit a two-run long ball – his first of two home runs – before heads-up base running by JT Thomas and Trey Truitt as well as a RBI single by McDermott opened the floodgates.
Â
Yeager (two-run home run) and Ware (RBI single) would provide the rest of the offensive production in the fifth and seventh innings, respectively, as Mercer's bullpen scattered four Florida A&M runs over the final four frames.
Â
Coach Gibson's Take
"We challenged our seniors to get us off to a good start today and I thought momentum swung our way on a diving catch by Alex Hanson that saved two runs in the first inning," said head coach Craig Gibson. "After that, we had a good inning offensively and really opened it up.
Â
"This was a win we really needed. I'm proud of Zach Graveno for getting us off to a great start on the mound. Defensively, we were pretty good. Hopefully we can springboard this win into a solid weekend in Johnson City [Tenn.] at ETSU."
Â
Player of the Game
A return to his home state of Florida and a jump in the batting order boded well for RJ Yeager, who went 3-for-5 with four RBI and a pair of home runs. The freshman, who was slotted in the two-hole for the first time, tallied his second and third long balls of the season in consecutive innings and added three runs and two walks.
Â
Records Update
» Mercer: 20-6
» Florida A&M: 11-17
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Pitchers of Record
» Win: Austin Lord (1-0)
» Loss: Josh Wilson (1-1)
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Up Next
» Mercer: At ETSU (6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 29 in Johnson City, Tenn.)
» Florida A&M: Hosts NC Central (1 p.m. Friday, March 30 in Tallahassee, Fla.)
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Notables
» All but one position starter recorded at least one hit.
» Mercer stole a season-high four bases (Hanson, Yeager, Trey Truitt and Kyle Dockus).
» Mercer's 16 hits are its third most in a single game this season.
» Mercer has scored 10-plus runs in 12 games.
» Truitt and Alex Hanson extended their reached base streaks to 24 games.
» Yeager's four RBI marked his sixth multi-RBI performance.
» Caleb Mitchell struck out the side in one inning of relief. The Bears totaled eight strikeouts as a staff.
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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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