Mercer Improves to 9-0 After Defeating UT Martin

Friday, February 28

Macon, Ga.

6 p.m.

Mercer University

9-0

UT Martin

4-5

UT Martin

Mercer

Photo by: Mitch Robinson

Mercer Improves to 9-0 After Defeating UT Martin

2/28/2020 11:04:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Mercer ties the best start in program history

By: Travis Rae

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer baseball team tied the best start in program history on Friday night with a 7-2 victory over UT Martin at OrthoGeorgia Park.

Tanner Hall was dealing for the Bears as he went six innings and struck out a career-high 11 batters en route to his third win of the season. Colby Thomas and Jordan Ammons led the team with three hits apiece.

After a one, two, three inning for Hall in the first, the Bears bats came to life. The Bears had a big inning which Thomas behan with a double. Angelo DiSpigna followed with a single, putting runners on the corners. RJ Yeager came up and hit a sac fly scoring one run. The Bears weren't done as Brandon Michie hit a single putting two on base. Ammons collected his first hit of the day with a triple to center field extending the Bears lead to 3-0. Le Bassett added a double to right field scoring the final run of inning for Mercer.

UT Martin scored one run and picked up two hits against Hall in the top of the second. With a runner on second, Houston Wright doubled him home trimming the lead down to 4-1. Following the run, Hall struck out the side to end the inning.

The Skyhawks took advantage of a Bears error in the top of the fourth inning that extended the inning. With a runner on second base Wright singled to center field scoring the second run of the game for UT Martin.

Following the fourth inning Hall and Garrett Mathes cooled off the Skyhawks bats. The Bears pitching only allowed one hit for the final three innings of the contest. Hall did not allow another hit to UT Martin over his final two innings of the game.

Alex Crotty led off the bottom of the sixth with a single to left center. After a sac bunt, Thomas came to the plate and blasted a monster home run to left field putting Mercer ahead 6-2. Mercer added another insurance run in the bottom of the seventh on a Bill Knight RBI single.

Mathes only allowed one hit in his three innings of work. In his first inning of work, Mathes retired the Skyhawks in order. The Skyhawks picked up the last hit of the game in the eighth inning against Mathes but that was it. In the ninth inning, Mathes retired the first hitter of the inning to line out to third. After a hit by pitch, Mathes recorded a strikeout and got a ground out to end the game. With the 7-2 win, the Bears remained unbeaten.

Coach Gibson's Take
"It was a great effort by our pitchers, Tanner Hall and Garrett Mathes, tonight. It was fun watching Tanner Hall as he picked up a career-high 11 strikeouts. We had some defensive miscues and we will continue working to get better defensively. We had some good at-bats and the first inning was really explosive for us as we scored four runs on five hits. We are looking forward to game two, tomorrow."

Player of the Game
Senior pitcher Tanner Hall came out dealing once again for the Bears. Hall went six innings picking up his third win of the season. For the contest, he recorded 11 strikeouts, which set a career-high. He limited the Skyhawks to three hits and only walked one hitter.

Records Update
» Mercer: 9-0
» UT Martin: 4-5

Pitchers of Record
» Win: Tanner Hall (3-0)
» Loss: Winston Cannon (0-1)
» Save: Garrett Mathes (1)

Notables
» Mercer improved to 9-0 on the season. This ties the best start in program history.
» Colby Thomas hit his third home run of the season, which leads the team.
» Tanner Hall struck out 11 batters in the contest. This is a career-high for Hall.
» Mercer had five extra base hits in the contest against the Skyhawks. Three of the five extra base hits came from Colby Thomas.
» The Bears scored four runs on five hits in the first inning to get the offense rolling.
» Mercer is one of 11 teams in the nation that is undefeated. The Bears are the only SoCon school undefeated and the school in Georgia.

Up Next
» Mercer: vs. UT Martin (2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29 at OrthoGeorgia Park)
» UT Martin: at Mercer (2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29 at OrthoGeorgia Park)

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.