Thursday, May 17
Macon, Ga.
3 p.m.
Mercer University
35-18, 0
6
vs
3
The Citadel
17-33, 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
The Citadel
0
1
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
3
10
1
Mercer
2
0
0
1
0
0
1
2
X
6
10
2
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Broom, Robert (10-2)
L: Ian Foggo (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Clay Martin 1
RBI: Taylor Cothran 1 ; Clay Martin 2
SH: William Kinney 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jeffery Brown 1 ; Ben Peden 1 ; Michael Ray 1
CS: Jeffery Brown 1
Batting:
2B: Ware, Jackson 2
HR: Hanson, Alex 1 ; Bassett, Le 2
RBI: Hanson, Alex 1 ; Michie, Brandon 1 ; Ware, Jackson 1 ; Bassett, Le 3
SH: Hanson, Alex 1 ; Crotty, Alex 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hanson, Alex 1 ; Yeager, RJ 1 ; Ware, Jackson 1 ; Bassett, Le 2 ; Cornell, Conrad 1
SB: Michie, Brandon 1 ; Ware, Jackson 1
HBP: Bassett, Le 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
1
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
3
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
Photo by: Gerrit Van Genderen
Bears Blast Past The Citadel in Series-Opening Win
5/17/2018 8:04:00 PM | Baseball
Mercer reaches the 35-win mark for the ninth consecutive season
MACON, Ga. – Le Bassett and Alex Hanson hit three home runs to power Mercer to a 6-3 series-opening Southern Conference victory over The Citadel on Thursday afternoon at OrthoGeorgia Park.
Mercer (35-18, 11-11 SoCon) pulled even in conference play in the front end of Thursday's doubleheader against the Bulldogs (17-33, 6-16). It was the Bears' fifth straight win against The Citadel dating back to 2016.
Brandon Michie singled home pinch-runner Conrad Cornell in the bottom of the seventh to give Mercer a 4-3 advantage that it did not relinquish the rest of the way. Cornell, who pinch-ran for Drew Lingo, moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Hanson before Michie's sharp single to right field drove him home.
Bassett tacked on his second of two home runs – a two-run shot – in the bottom of the eighth to provide run insurance for Robert Broom, who tossed four innings of relief to earn his 10th win of the season. Bassett's first home run came in the fourth inning.
After Trey Truitt robbed The Citadel's William Kinney of a home run in right field in the top of the first inning, Hanson led off the home half of the frame with a solo shot to right-center. Jackson Ware doubled down the right-field line to score RJ Yeager later in the inning, giving Mercer an early 2-0 advantage.
The Bulldogs cut their deficit in half on a RBI double by Clay Martin in the second; the run was unearned against Mercer starter Austin Cox after a throwing error extended the inning. Cox, who was on a predetermined pitch count, limited The Citadel to just one run over five innings. He left the game in line for the win but did not earn the decision once the Bulldogs scored one run in the sixth and seventh frames.
Milestone Moment
Mercer continued its years-long stretch of extended consistency by reaching 35 wins for the ninth straight season on Thursday. The Bears entered the spring as one of five NCAA Division I programs with 35 or more wins (Coastal Carolina, LSU, Vanderbilt and Florida State) in eight straight seasons.
Three of those five programs – Mercer, Coastal Carolina and Florida State – have already reached the 35-win mark this season.
Stat of the Game
Robert Broom became the 10th player in program history to log 100 strikeouts in a single season. He and Austin Cox are just the third pair of teammates in program history to toss 100 strikeouts each in the same season. They join 1998 teammates David D'Amico (130) and Matt Parker (115) and 2002 teammates Brett Jarrett (114) and Brian Jones (104).
Player of the Game
Le Bassett brought the lumber to OrthoGeorgia Park on Thursday afternoon as he swatted a pair of home runs against The Citadel. Bassett tallied three RBI on the two swings and reached the 50-RBI mark for the season in the process.
Postgame Quotes
Coach Gibson's opening statement:
"Today's first game was hopefully a preview of what our team is capable of in next week's Southern Conference Tournament," said head coach Craig Gibson. "Great starting pitching and relief pitching by [Austin] Cox and [Robert] Broom…you can't say enough about what those two have given our program the last three years. Timely hitting by a lot of our young guys played a big role and showed a glimpse into the future."
Gibson on reaching 35 wins for the ninth straight season:
"To win 35 or more games for nine straight years is an unbelievable feat. The ability to stay consistent and compete for championships every year says a lot about the guys we bring into this program."
Records Update
» Mercer: 35-18 (11-11 SoCon)
» The Citadel: 17-33 (6-16 SoCon)
Pitchers of Record
» Win: Robert Broom (10-2)
» Loss: Ian Foggo (0-1)
Up Next
» Mercer: Hosts The Citadel (7 p.m. Thursday, May 17 in Macon, Ga.)
» The Citadel: At Mercer (7 p.m. Thursday, May 17 in Macon, Ga.)
Notables
» Broom became the seventh pitcher nationally to reach 10 wins this season.
» Jackson Ware extended his career-long reached base streak to 19 games. He led Mercer with three hits, two of which were doubles (3-for-4).
» Bassett leads the SoCon with 15 home runs.
» Hanson's first-inning home run was the first time he has led off with a home run this season.
» Hanson reached base safely for the 74th time in the last 78 games played.
» Cox moved into sixth place for single-season strikeouts in program history (110).
» Broom made his seventh relief appearance of four or more innings this season.
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.
Mercer (35-18, 11-11 SoCon) pulled even in conference play in the front end of Thursday's doubleheader against the Bulldogs (17-33, 6-16). It was the Bears' fifth straight win against The Citadel dating back to 2016.
Brandon Michie singled home pinch-runner Conrad Cornell in the bottom of the seventh to give Mercer a 4-3 advantage that it did not relinquish the rest of the way. Cornell, who pinch-ran for Drew Lingo, moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Hanson before Michie's sharp single to right field drove him home.
Bassett tacked on his second of two home runs – a two-run shot – in the bottom of the eighth to provide run insurance for Robert Broom, who tossed four innings of relief to earn his 10th win of the season. Bassett's first home run came in the fourth inning.
After Trey Truitt robbed The Citadel's William Kinney of a home run in right field in the top of the first inning, Hanson led off the home half of the frame with a solo shot to right-center. Jackson Ware doubled down the right-field line to score RJ Yeager later in the inning, giving Mercer an early 2-0 advantage.
The Bulldogs cut their deficit in half on a RBI double by Clay Martin in the second; the run was unearned against Mercer starter Austin Cox after a throwing error extended the inning. Cox, who was on a predetermined pitch count, limited The Citadel to just one run over five innings. He left the game in line for the win but did not earn the decision once the Bulldogs scored one run in the sixth and seventh frames.
Milestone Moment
Mercer continued its years-long stretch of extended consistency by reaching 35 wins for the ninth straight season on Thursday. The Bears entered the spring as one of five NCAA Division I programs with 35 or more wins (Coastal Carolina, LSU, Vanderbilt and Florida State) in eight straight seasons.
Three of those five programs – Mercer, Coastal Carolina and Florida State – have already reached the 35-win mark this season.
Stat of the Game
Robert Broom became the 10th player in program history to log 100 strikeouts in a single season. He and Austin Cox are just the third pair of teammates in program history to toss 100 strikeouts each in the same season. They join 1998 teammates David D'Amico (130) and Matt Parker (115) and 2002 teammates Brett Jarrett (114) and Brian Jones (104).
Player of the Game
Le Bassett brought the lumber to OrthoGeorgia Park on Thursday afternoon as he swatted a pair of home runs against The Citadel. Bassett tallied three RBI on the two swings and reached the 50-RBI mark for the season in the process.
Postgame Quotes
Coach Gibson's opening statement:
"Today's first game was hopefully a preview of what our team is capable of in next week's Southern Conference Tournament," said head coach Craig Gibson. "Great starting pitching and relief pitching by [Austin] Cox and [Robert] Broom…you can't say enough about what those two have given our program the last three years. Timely hitting by a lot of our young guys played a big role and showed a glimpse into the future."
Gibson on reaching 35 wins for the ninth straight season:
"To win 35 or more games for nine straight years is an unbelievable feat. The ability to stay consistent and compete for championships every year says a lot about the guys we bring into this program."
Records Update
» Mercer: 35-18 (11-11 SoCon)
» The Citadel: 17-33 (6-16 SoCon)
Pitchers of Record
» Win: Robert Broom (10-2)
» Loss: Ian Foggo (0-1)
Up Next
» Mercer: Hosts The Citadel (7 p.m. Thursday, May 17 in Macon, Ga.)
» The Citadel: At Mercer (7 p.m. Thursday, May 17 in Macon, Ga.)
Notables
» Broom became the seventh pitcher nationally to reach 10 wins this season.
» Jackson Ware extended his career-long reached base streak to 19 games. He led Mercer with three hits, two of which were doubles (3-for-4).
» Bassett leads the SoCon with 15 home runs.
» Hanson's first-inning home run was the first time he has led off with a home run this season.
» Hanson reached base safely for the 74th time in the last 78 games played.
» Cox moved into sixth place for single-season strikeouts in program history (110).
» Broom made his seventh relief appearance of four or more innings this season.
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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