Mercer Stays Undefeated With 6-1 Win Over Radford

Saturday, February 22

Macon, Ga.

2 p.m.

Mercer University

7-0

Radford

3-3

Radford

Mercer

Photo by: Ben Murray

Mercer Stays Undefeated With 6-1 Win Over Radford

2/22/2020 6:20:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score @MercerBaseball

The Bears are 7-0 on the season

By: Kraig Doremus

MACON, Ga. – Le Bassett broke a 1-1 tie with a two-RBI double in the bottom of the sixth, and the Mercer Bears never looked back. Mercer topped Radford, 6-1, to improve to 7-0 on the season.

After managing just one hit over the first two innings, Mercer got on the scoreboard in the third frame. Trevor Austin led off with a single and moved to third via a sacrifice bunt and groundout. With a runner in scoring position, Angelo DiSpigna was intentionally walked. The walk brought RJ Yeager to the plate, and he reached on a fielding error, which scored Austin. After three complete innings, the Bears held a narrow 1-0 lead.

Radford answered back in the top of the fourth to tie the contest. J.D. Mundy's single was sandwiched between a pair of Mercer errors and allowed the Highlanders to load the bases with nobody out. Jackson Kelley surrendered just one run as he used a double play and strikeout to get out of the inning.

Each team stranded runners in the fifth inning with Radford leaving men on first and second and the Bears stranding Colby Thomas on first.

Kelley's day on the mound came to an end after he retired one batter in the top of the sixth. He tossed 5.1 innings and allowed one unearned run and four hits. The sophomore from Marietta, Ga. fanned three and walked a pair.

Garrett Mathes got the Bears out of the sixth and preserved a 1-1 tie, but Mercer quickly broke the tie in the bottom of the inning.

In the Bears' portion of the sixth, Brandon Michie got things started with a one-out base knock to left center field. Billy Knight was hit by a pitch, giving Mercer a pair of runners with just one out. The next batter, Bassett, batted in both runners with a two-RBI double down the right field line. The Tifton, Ga. product's two-base hit gave the Bears a two-run advantage, 3-1, and Mercer quickly extended its lead.

Alex Crotty's RBI single scored Bassett to give the home squad a 4-1 advantage after six innings.

In the seventh, Thomas was stranded 90 feet from home, as the Highlanders managed to hold the Bears scoreless in the frame. However, after Mathes and Hunter Phillips combined to hold Radford to no runs in the eighth, Mercer added to its lead.

In the eighth, Crotty's double allowed Michie to score, and Austin recorded a base knock to right field on which Michie crossed home plate, pushing the Bears' advantage to five runs, 6-1.

Phillips retired the Highlanders in order in the top of the ninth, giving Mercer its seventh win of the season.

Mathes picked up the win for the Bears. He spent 1.2 innings on the mound and allowed just one hit. Phillips recorded his second save of the 2020 campaign. He entered in a 4-1 contest and threw a perfect two innings that included three strikeouts.

Radford's Brandon Donovan dropped to 1-1 on the year. He surrendered four runs (three earned) on seven hits in seven innings of work.

Thomas (2-for-5), Crotty (2-for-4) and Austin (2-for-4) each had a multi-hit game. Bill Knight and Crotty each batted in a pair of runs.

Coach Gibson's Take
"You have to give Radford and pitcher Brandon Donovan a lot of credit. Our lineup has the ability, one through nine, to put pressure on guys. We were able to string together some hits, and we got to him (Donovan). It was another game with good competition. We're excited for tomorrow. I can't say enough about Jackson Kelley. He was outstanding, and our hitters grinded out those at-bats and helped us get on the board. Garrett Mathes and Hunter Phillips are both special. Mathes had surgery and didn't pitch in the fall. He's been lights out thus far. Phillips is special as well. We want to get better every day. We have a lot of talented guys, and it's early. We have to play better defensively and have a lot of arms that have not made it to the mound yet. Our season's in front of us. We're off to a good start and are looking forward to playing tomorrow."

Player(s) of the Game
The pitching staff, which featured three individuals – Kelley, Mathes, and Phillips – allowed just one unearned run and five hits while striking out seven.

Records Update
» Mercer: 7-0
» Radford: 3-3

Pitchers of Record
» Win: Garrett Mathes (1-0)
» Loss: Brandon Donovan (1-1)
» Save: Hunter Phillips (2)

Notables
» With the 6-1 win, the Bears remain undefeated against Radford (5-0 all-time) and will go for the series sweep tomorrow afternoon.
» Mathes picked up his first win of the 2020 season. He allowed no runs on one hit in 1.2 innings of work.
» Phillips was credited with his second save of the year. He had an impressive performance, throwing two innings of no-hit baseball with three strikeouts.
» Phillips' three strikeouts bring his total to 15 in 6.1 innings of work this season.
» The Bears got 4.0 innings of one-hit baseball from Mathes and Phillips.
» Today marked the third time this season that Mercer did not give up an extra base hit to its opponent.
» The Bears have recorded at least seven hits in all seven games this season. The Bears were credited with nine hits in today's victory.

Up Next
» Mercer: Hosts Radford (1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23 at OrthoGeorgia Park)
» Radford: At Mercer (1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23 at OrthoGeorgia Park)

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