Friday, March 30
Johnson City, Tenn.
6:30 p.m.
Mercer University
22-6, 4-1
5
at
3
ETSU
14-9, 2-3
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Mercer
1
0
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
5
15
0
ETSU
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
3
7
0
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Broom, Robert (5-0)
L: J. Giambalvo (3-1)
Batting:
2B: Hanson, Alex 1
HR: Lingo, Drew 1
RBI: Thomas, JT 1 ; Truitt, Trey 1 ; Posas, David 1 ; Lingo, Drew 2
SH: Posas, David 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hanson, Alex 1 ; Yeager, RJ 1 ; Truitt, Trey 1 ; Ware, Jackson 1 ; Lingo, Drew 1
SB: Hanson, Alex 1 ; Yeager, RJ 1 ; Truitt, Trey 2 ; Ammons, Jordan 1
CS: Dockus, Kyle 1
HBP: Thomas, JT 1
Batting:
2B: C. Longley 1
RBI: C. Longley 1 ; C. Gilbert 1 ; D. Beam 1
Base Running:
RUNS: C. Cook 1 ; C. Bailey 1 ; C. Longley 1
HBP: B. Jackson 1
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballIF
/ Baseball
1B
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
Bears Best Bucs, 5-3, to Clinch SoCon Series
3/30/2018 8:45:00 PM | Baseball
Mercer cranks out 15 hits as Broom shines on the mound
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Robert Broom held ETSU hitless over the final 4.1 innings of play as Mercer defeated ETSU, 5-3, to clinch its second straight Southern Conference series Friday at Thomas Stadium.
Â
Mercer improved to 22-6 overall (3-1 SoCon) while ETSU dropped to 14-9 (2-3) as Broom (5-0) earned the win on the mound. The junior sidewinder stranded his three inherited baserunners with the first of five strikeouts when he entered the game with two outs and the bases loaded in the fifth inning. Broom was perfect from the get-go, as he retired all 13 batters he faced to stifle a ETSU offense that tallied three runs on seven hits through the first 4.2 innings.
Â
The Bears struck first with a hot start offensively; Alex Hanson (double), RJ Yeager (single) and JT Thomas (RBI single) opened the game with three consecutive hits to plate one run. A solo home run by Drew Lingo – his third of the season – in the fourth gave Mercer a two-run advantage. Mercer starting pitcher Chase Burks cruised through the first three frames, allowing only two ETSU hits, before the Bucs turned the tide with three runs on four hits in the home half of the fourth.
Â
David Posas dropped a two-out RBI single in down the left-field line into no man's land to score Trey Truitt and tie the contest, 3-3. Truitt reached with a single and stole second base to get into scoring position two at bats prior.
Â
Mercer took the lead for good on a backside RBI single by Lingo in the seventh, which scored Jackson Ware after his leadoff single. An insurance run crossed the plate in the eighth when Truitt notched an infield single to bring home Yeager.
Â
Coach Gibson's Take
Opening statement:
"This win means a lot in the scheme of things as we get deeper into Southern Conference play," said head coach Craig Gibson. "I thought Chase Burks got us off to a great start; he's really been consistent from day one and has been a solid Saturday starter. At the end, we may have one of the best relief pitchers in the country [Broom] who closed it out.
Â
"You can't say enough about our hitters as well. They collected 15 hits today and have 29 already in the series. There isn't much more you can ask for out of them. I'm really proud of some guys who have stepped in and played their role despite injuries on this team – Drew Lingo, Sean McDermott, Conrad Cornell…the guys are buying in."
Â
Player of the Game
Robert Broom was untouchable Friday evening as he collected his fifth win of the season with a perfect 4.1 innings of relief. The junior struck out five batters – the sixth time he has totaled at least five this season – while issuing no hits or walks to the Bucs. Â
Â
Records Update
» Mercer: 22-6 (4-1 SoCon)
» ETSU: 14-9 (2-3 SoCon)
Â
Pitchers of Record
» Win: Robert Broom (5-0)
» Loss: James Giambalvo (3-1)
Â
Up Next
» Mercer: At ETSU (1 p.m. Saturday, March 31 in Johnson City, Tenn.)
» ETSU: Hosts Mercer (1 p.m. Saturday, March 31 in Johnson City, Tenn.)
Â
Notables
» Mercer has won 29 of its last 34 weekend series.
» Mercer improved to 32-15 all-time against ETSU.
» Lingo's three hits were a career-high.
» Truitt and Hanson extended their reached base streaks to 26 games.
» Mercer stole a season-high five bases. Truitt (2), Hanson, Yeager and Jordan Ammons all stole bases.
» Thomas extended his hit streak to six games with his 10th multi-hit performance of the season.
» Mercer has won in six of Burks' seven starts this season.
» Seven Bears tallied multi-hit performances.
» Mercer has 29 hits through 18 innings played this series. It was the 18th time the Bears have totaled 10-plus hits in a single game this season.
» Mercer improved to 20-0 when leading after eight innings.
» Mercer has held opponents to five runs or less in eight of the last nine games.
Â
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.
Â
Â
Mercer improved to 22-6 overall (3-1 SoCon) while ETSU dropped to 14-9 (2-3) as Broom (5-0) earned the win on the mound. The junior sidewinder stranded his three inherited baserunners with the first of five strikeouts when he entered the game with two outs and the bases loaded in the fifth inning. Broom was perfect from the get-go, as he retired all 13 batters he faced to stifle a ETSU offense that tallied three runs on seven hits through the first 4.2 innings.
Â
The Bears struck first with a hot start offensively; Alex Hanson (double), RJ Yeager (single) and JT Thomas (RBI single) opened the game with three consecutive hits to plate one run. A solo home run by Drew Lingo – his third of the season – in the fourth gave Mercer a two-run advantage. Mercer starting pitcher Chase Burks cruised through the first three frames, allowing only two ETSU hits, before the Bucs turned the tide with three runs on four hits in the home half of the fourth.
Â
David Posas dropped a two-out RBI single in down the left-field line into no man's land to score Trey Truitt and tie the contest, 3-3. Truitt reached with a single and stole second base to get into scoring position two at bats prior.
Â
Mercer took the lead for good on a backside RBI single by Lingo in the seventh, which scored Jackson Ware after his leadoff single. An insurance run crossed the plate in the eighth when Truitt notched an infield single to bring home Yeager.
Â
Coach Gibson's Take
Opening statement:
"This win means a lot in the scheme of things as we get deeper into Southern Conference play," said head coach Craig Gibson. "I thought Chase Burks got us off to a great start; he's really been consistent from day one and has been a solid Saturday starter. At the end, we may have one of the best relief pitchers in the country [Broom] who closed it out.
Â
"You can't say enough about our hitters as well. They collected 15 hits today and have 29 already in the series. There isn't much more you can ask for out of them. I'm really proud of some guys who have stepped in and played their role despite injuries on this team – Drew Lingo, Sean McDermott, Conrad Cornell…the guys are buying in."
Â
Player of the Game
Robert Broom was untouchable Friday evening as he collected his fifth win of the season with a perfect 4.1 innings of relief. The junior struck out five batters – the sixth time he has totaled at least five this season – while issuing no hits or walks to the Bucs. Â
Â
Records Update
» Mercer: 22-6 (4-1 SoCon)
» ETSU: 14-9 (2-3 SoCon)
Â
Pitchers of Record
» Win: Robert Broom (5-0)
» Loss: James Giambalvo (3-1)
Â
Up Next
» Mercer: At ETSU (1 p.m. Saturday, March 31 in Johnson City, Tenn.)
» ETSU: Hosts Mercer (1 p.m. Saturday, March 31 in Johnson City, Tenn.)
Â
Notables
» Mercer has won 29 of its last 34 weekend series.
» Mercer improved to 32-15 all-time against ETSU.
» Lingo's three hits were a career-high.
» Truitt and Hanson extended their reached base streaks to 26 games.
» Mercer stole a season-high five bases. Truitt (2), Hanson, Yeager and Jordan Ammons all stole bases.
» Thomas extended his hit streak to six games with his 10th multi-hit performance of the season.
» Mercer has won in six of Burks' seven starts this season.
» Seven Bears tallied multi-hit performances.
» Mercer has 29 hits through 18 innings played this series. It was the 18th time the Bears have totaled 10-plus hits in a single game this season.
» Mercer improved to 20-0 when leading after eight innings.
» Mercer has held opponents to five runs or less in eight of the last nine games.
Â
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.
Â
Mercer v LaGrange MBB Highlight Reel: 11/5/2025
Thursday, November 06
Mercer Football Press Conference (Week 11 vs Western Carolina)
Monday, November 03
Mercer 52 | Furman 28 Post Game Press Conference 11.01.25
Sunday, November 02
Mercer v Furman VB Highlight Reel: 11/1/2025
Sunday, November 02
