Saturday, April 28
Macon, Ga.
2 p.m.
Mercer University
30-15, 0
9
vs
4
VMI
23-19, 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
VMI
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
1
0
4
12
0
Mercer
1
0
0
0
0
2
3
3
X
9
12
0
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Gipson-Long, Sawyer (4-0)
L: Matthew Eagle (1-3)
S: Spear, Nick (5)
Batting:
HR: Nathan Eaton 1 ; Collin Fleischer 1 ; Matt Dunlevy 1
RBI: Nathan Eaton 1 ; Collin Fleischer 2 ; Matt Dunlevy 1
SH: Will Malbon 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Nathan Eaton 1 ; Matt Pita 1 ; Collin Fleischer 1 ; Matt Dunlevy 1
SB: Nathan Eaton 2 ; Will Malbon 1 ; Jake Huggins 1
HBP: Jake Huggins 1
Batting:
2B: Truitt, Trey 1
HR: Ware, Jackson 1 ; Bassett, Le 1 ; Thomas, JT 1
RBI: Ware, Jackson 2 ; Bassett, Le 3 ; Thomas, JT 2 ; Michie, Brandon 1 ; Cornell, Conrad 1
SH: Yeager, RJ 1 ; Truitt, Trey 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Yeager, RJ 1 ; Truitt, Trey 2 ; Ware, Jackson 3 ; Bassett, Le 1 ; Thomas, JT 2
SB: Hanson, Alex 1 ; Truitt, Trey 1 ; Cornell, Conrad 1
HBP: Yeager, RJ 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
3
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballBears Swat VMI for Craig Gibson’s 500th Career Win
4/28/2018 7:13:00 PM | Baseball
Mercer blasts three home runs in 9-4 victory at home
MACON, Ga. – Mercer head coach Craig Gibson notched his 500th career victory as the Bears used three home runs to rally past VMI and take a series-tying 9-4 win Saturday afternoon at OrthoGeorgia Park.
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Gibson (500-346) became the 13th active NCAA Division I baseball coach to win 500 games at his alma mater and joined the late Barry Myers as the only Mercer baseball coaches to reach the milestone. The victory tied the three-game series for Mercer (30-15, 9-8) and also got the Bears back above .500 in Southern Conference play.
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Jackson Ware delivered a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the first to give Mercer an early one-run advantage before the Keydets (23-19, 10-7) plated three runs on back-to-back home runs in the top of the third against Chase Burks. VMI maintained the 3-1 lead into the sixth when Ware and JT Thomas connected for a pair of solo home runs to knot the game.
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It was all Mercer from that point on as the Bears posted consecutive three-run innings in the seventh and eighth. Thomas, Brandon Michie and Conrad Cornell tallied three straight RBI singles in the seventh before a three-run blast by Le Bassett iced the game in the eighth.
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Mercer escaped three bases-loaded jams in the first, fourth and sixth innings and stranded 14 Keydets on base Saturday. Christian Vann, who will start Sunday's series finale for Mercer, came in and recorded a strikeout in a spot-relief appearance with three runners on in the fourth.
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Sawyer Gipson-Long improved to 4-0 with the win after tossing 1.1 innings before handing it off to Nick Spear, who recorded his team-high fifth save. Kevin Coulter tossed two scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth to bridge the gap to Mercer's late rally.
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Postgame Quotes
Coach Gibson's opening statement:
"I don't think you're a good team until you come from behind," said head coach Craig Gibson. "I thought we had a good start against what is probably the best offensive team in our league [VMI]. A lot of guys contributed for us today and we won a lot of moments with the bases loaded.
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"Chase Burks got us off to a strong start and [Christian] Vann and [Kevin] Coulter were special in moments for us. Pitching-wise, we were great. Offensively, some guys really stepped up for us."
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On his 500th career victory:
"It has gone by in a hurry, to be honest. We've had some great players and coaches come through this program during my time as head coach. I was kidding with a few of our hitters that if they got some hits earlier in the season, [win No. 500] would have happened sooner.
Â
"I'm very fortunate for the run that we've had here. More than anything, this milestone means our program has done well over the years. It goes down as my record, but for me it's a team honor. Our coaching staff is great and there have been plenty of quality players to come through Mercer."
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Records Update
» Mercer: 30-15 (9-8 SoCon)
» VMI: 23-19 (10-7 SoCon)
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Pitchers of Record
» Win: Sawyer Gipson-Long (4-0)
» Loss: Matthew Eagle (1-3)
» Save: Nick Spear (5)
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Up Next
» Mercer: Hosts VMI (1 p.m. Sunday, April 29 in Macon, Ga.)
» VMI: At Mercer (1 p.m. Sunday, April 29 in Macon, Ga.)
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Notables
» Gibson is the 13th active NCAA Division I baseball coach to record 500 wins at his alma mater.
» Gibson joins The Citadel's Tony Skole as the only current SoCon coaches with 500 wins.
» Mercer has won 30 games in 11 of 15 seasons under Gibson's watch.
» Mercer improved to 14-5-1 against VMI.
» Thomas recorded his first multi-hit game since March 31 with a 4-for-5 performance.
» Thomas' home run was his first since March 24 vs. Wofford.
» Ware's two RBI was his 32nd and 33rd of the season, marking a new career-high for the senior.
» Truitt's first-inning double was his 21st extra-base hit of the season.
» Alex Hanson reached base safely for the 68th time in 70 games dating back to last season.
» Hanson stole his 20th base of the season, marking consecutive seasons with 20 or more steals. He needs three more steals to crack the top-10 for most steals in a single season at Mercer.
» The Bears' 12 hits mark the 26th time in 45 games this season they have had 10-plus hits.
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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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Gibson (500-346) became the 13th active NCAA Division I baseball coach to win 500 games at his alma mater and joined the late Barry Myers as the only Mercer baseball coaches to reach the milestone. The victory tied the three-game series for Mercer (30-15, 9-8) and also got the Bears back above .500 in Southern Conference play.
Â
Jackson Ware delivered a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the first to give Mercer an early one-run advantage before the Keydets (23-19, 10-7) plated three runs on back-to-back home runs in the top of the third against Chase Burks. VMI maintained the 3-1 lead into the sixth when Ware and JT Thomas connected for a pair of solo home runs to knot the game.
Â
It was all Mercer from that point on as the Bears posted consecutive three-run innings in the seventh and eighth. Thomas, Brandon Michie and Conrad Cornell tallied three straight RBI singles in the seventh before a three-run blast by Le Bassett iced the game in the eighth.
Â
Mercer escaped three bases-loaded jams in the first, fourth and sixth innings and stranded 14 Keydets on base Saturday. Christian Vann, who will start Sunday's series finale for Mercer, came in and recorded a strikeout in a spot-relief appearance with three runners on in the fourth.
Â
Sawyer Gipson-Long improved to 4-0 with the win after tossing 1.1 innings before handing it off to Nick Spear, who recorded his team-high fifth save. Kevin Coulter tossed two scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth to bridge the gap to Mercer's late rally.
Â
Postgame Quotes
Coach Gibson's opening statement:
"I don't think you're a good team until you come from behind," said head coach Craig Gibson. "I thought we had a good start against what is probably the best offensive team in our league [VMI]. A lot of guys contributed for us today and we won a lot of moments with the bases loaded.
Â
"Chase Burks got us off to a strong start and [Christian] Vann and [Kevin] Coulter were special in moments for us. Pitching-wise, we were great. Offensively, some guys really stepped up for us."
Â
On his 500th career victory:
"It has gone by in a hurry, to be honest. We've had some great players and coaches come through this program during my time as head coach. I was kidding with a few of our hitters that if they got some hits earlier in the season, [win No. 500] would have happened sooner.
Â
"I'm very fortunate for the run that we've had here. More than anything, this milestone means our program has done well over the years. It goes down as my record, but for me it's a team honor. Our coaching staff is great and there have been plenty of quality players to come through Mercer."
Â
Records Update
» Mercer: 30-15 (9-8 SoCon)
» VMI: 23-19 (10-7 SoCon)
Â
Pitchers of Record
» Win: Sawyer Gipson-Long (4-0)
» Loss: Matthew Eagle (1-3)
» Save: Nick Spear (5)
Â
Up Next
» Mercer: Hosts VMI (1 p.m. Sunday, April 29 in Macon, Ga.)
» VMI: At Mercer (1 p.m. Sunday, April 29 in Macon, Ga.)
Â
Notables
» Gibson is the 13th active NCAA Division I baseball coach to record 500 wins at his alma mater.
» Gibson joins The Citadel's Tony Skole as the only current SoCon coaches with 500 wins.
» Mercer has won 30 games in 11 of 15 seasons under Gibson's watch.
» Mercer improved to 14-5-1 against VMI.
» Thomas recorded his first multi-hit game since March 31 with a 4-for-5 performance.
» Thomas' home run was his first since March 24 vs. Wofford.
» Ware's two RBI was his 32nd and 33rd of the season, marking a new career-high for the senior.
» Truitt's first-inning double was his 21st extra-base hit of the season.
» Alex Hanson reached base safely for the 68th time in 70 games dating back to last season.
» Hanson stole his 20th base of the season, marking consecutive seasons with 20 or more steals. He needs three more steals to crack the top-10 for most steals in a single season at Mercer.
» The Bears' 12 hits mark the 26th time in 45 games this season they have had 10-plus hits.
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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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