Saturday, March 20
Macon, Ga.
2 p.m. (G1)
Mercer University
9-9
12
vs
11
Bradley
5-6
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Bradley
0
4
3
0
1
3
0
0
0
11
13
0
Mercer
1
0
0
8
0
0
0
3
X
12
8
0
Photo by: Mitch Robinson
Bears Take Two on Saturday; Sweep Series With Bradley
3/20/2021 11:45:00 PM | Baseball
Mercer grows win streak to five games
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer baseball team had a strong performance at the plate, hitting .353 for the day, en route to a doubleheader sweep of Bradley on Saturday. The Bears took game one, 12-11, before winning 15-5 in game two.
Â
The sweep of Bradley pushed the Bears winning streak to five straight. Mercer has scored 10 or more runs in all of those contests. Â
Game One
After a scoreless top of the first, Mercer scored the first run of the game when Brandon Michie hit a rocket over the right field wall for a home run. However, the lead did not last long for Mercer as the Braves bats came to life. In the top of the second, the Braves scored four runs on four hits with three coming on a Carson Husmann home run.
Â
The lead grew to 7-1 for Bradley in the top of the third inning. Dan Bolt and Connor O'Brien led off with back-to-back singles. Eli Rawlinson followed with a three run home run on the first pitch he saw.
Â
The game remained 7-1 in favor of Bradley until the bottom of the fourth inning when Mercer's offense exploded for eight runs. With two on and two out, Jackson Cherry hit an RBI single to plate the first run of the inning. Trevor Austin drew a walk, which loaded the bases. Bill Knight earned an RBI after being hit by a pitch. The big hit came when RJ Yeager came up. He hit a ground slam to right center to tie the game. After a walk, a single and a stolen base, Collin Price picked up a two-run single as Mercer took a 9-7 lead.
Â
Bradley got one back in the top of the fifth after O'Brien took a 0-2 pitch out to center field. An inning later, the Braves jumped on the Bears' relievers and scored three runs on three hits to regain the lead at 11-9.
Â
The game remained in favor of the Braves as neither team would get anything going offensively until the bottom of the eighth. Austin got the Bears started with a leadoff walk. After an out, Yeager followed with a walk of his own putting two on. Mr. Clutch, Michie, came up and hit an inside the park home run putting the Bears ahead 12-11.
Â
Luke Sutko, who pitched 3.1 innings in the game, returned to the mound to close out the game for Mercer. The Braves had other ideas as with one out, Bradley picked up back-to-back singles. Sutko settled down following the two hits and tallied two punch outs to end the game handing Mercer a 12-11 win.
Â
Game Two
 Mercer struck first in game two in the bottom of the first as the Bears' first three hitters reached base; two by a single and one on a walk. With the bases loaded, Garett Delano drew a walk and the Bears took a 1-0 lead. Price followed with a sac fly, and the Bears lead grew to 2-0.
Â
The Bears lead was extended to 4-0 in the bottom of the second inning. CJ Keckler led off the inning with a double. After the first out of the inning, Bill Knight blasted a ball out to left field for a two-run bomb.
Â
The Braves answered back in the top of the third inning. After the first three batters reached base to open the inning, Jackson Kelley settled down and got two straight swinging strikeouts. It looked as if the Bears would get out of the inning unharmed, but Logan Delgado had other ideas as he roped a single off the right-center field wall. The game became tied after a throwing error by the Bears catcher allowed two Bradley runners to score.
Â
Mercer came back and regained the lead in the bottom of the frame with a solo home run by Price. This was his first homer of the season. The lead grew to 6-4 in the fourth after Delano plated Michie on an RBI single.
Â
Following the four-run inning by Bradley, Mercer's Kelley settled in over the next two innings and did not allow a run.
Â
The bats continued to stay hot for Mercer. With two on and two outs, Angelo DiSpigna came to the plate. He worked the count to 3-1 before he laced a homer over the right field fence and increased Mercer's lead to 9-4.
Mercer gave up its final run of the game in the top of the seventh inning. Husmann singled and Rawlinson scored trimming the lead down to four, 9-5.
Â
Over the next two innings, Mercer scored six runs. Yeager picked up an RBI in the seventh with a single. In the eighth, Blake Schmitt came up with the bases loaded and, after falling behind 0-2, drew a walk for another run. Austin and Knight followed with RBI singles, and Yaeger capped the scoring with a sac fly. Â
Â
Needing three outs, the Braves put the leadoff hitter on base. The Bears pitching locked in and got an out. Following the out, Shep Hancock came into pitch and got the first batter he faced to ground out. After a walk, he got another ground out to end the game.
Coach Gibson's Take
"What a great two games we had. It was a long day, but the team has to get used to it when we shift into conference play with these doubleheaders. I can't say enough about the offense this weekend. Brandon Michie was outstanding for us at the plate. He was great from the first pitch to the last pitch. We have put five games together and are starting to play a little better, and we need too. We now shift our focus to a great Georgia State team on Tuesday before we enter conference play next weekend." Â
Â
Records Update
» Mercer: 10-9
» Bradley: 5-7
Â
Pitchers of Record
Game 1
» Win: Luke Sutko (1-0)
» Loss: Theron Denlinger (0-1)
Â
Game 2
» Win: Jackson Kelley (2-2)
» Loss: Nick King (0-3)
Â
Notables
» The Bears scored 27 runs, 12 in game one and 15 in game two, on Saturday. This was the fifth straight game the Bears have scored 10 or more runs.    Â
» The Bears hit .353 as a team in the double header with an on-base percentage of .471. Collin Price and RJ Yeager led the team with four hits on the day.
» Mercer pitching tallied 28 strikeouts on the day, while only walking 10 batters.
» In game two, Jackson Kelley was dealing as he recorded 10 strikeouts in five innings of work. He picked up his second win of the year in the second game.   Â
» In game one of the doubleheader, Mercer hit its second grand slam in as many days. This time RJ Yeager hit the grand slam.
» Brandon Michie hit two more home run in game one of the doubleheader on Saturday. This was his second multi-home run game of the season.   Â
» Mercer has hit 26 home runs on the season. Brandon Michie leads the team with five.
» Mercer improved to 6-3 all-time against Bradley.
Â
Up Next
» Mercer: at Georgia State (6 p.m. Tuesday, March 23 at GSU Baseball Complex)
» Bradley: at Creighton (6:30 p.m. Friday, March 26 at TD Ameritrade 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.
Â
Â
The sweep of Bradley pushed the Bears winning streak to five straight. Mercer has scored 10 or more runs in all of those contests. Â
Game One
After a scoreless top of the first, Mercer scored the first run of the game when Brandon Michie hit a rocket over the right field wall for a home run. However, the lead did not last long for Mercer as the Braves bats came to life. In the top of the second, the Braves scored four runs on four hits with three coming on a Carson Husmann home run.
Â
The lead grew to 7-1 for Bradley in the top of the third inning. Dan Bolt and Connor O'Brien led off with back-to-back singles. Eli Rawlinson followed with a three run home run on the first pitch he saw.
Â
The game remained 7-1 in favor of Bradley until the bottom of the fourth inning when Mercer's offense exploded for eight runs. With two on and two out, Jackson Cherry hit an RBI single to plate the first run of the inning. Trevor Austin drew a walk, which loaded the bases. Bill Knight earned an RBI after being hit by a pitch. The big hit came when RJ Yeager came up. He hit a ground slam to right center to tie the game. After a walk, a single and a stolen base, Collin Price picked up a two-run single as Mercer took a 9-7 lead.
Â
Bradley got one back in the top of the fifth after O'Brien took a 0-2 pitch out to center field. An inning later, the Braves jumped on the Bears' relievers and scored three runs on three hits to regain the lead at 11-9.
Â
The game remained in favor of the Braves as neither team would get anything going offensively until the bottom of the eighth. Austin got the Bears started with a leadoff walk. After an out, Yeager followed with a walk of his own putting two on. Mr. Clutch, Michie, came up and hit an inside the park home run putting the Bears ahead 12-11.
Â
Luke Sutko, who pitched 3.1 innings in the game, returned to the mound to close out the game for Mercer. The Braves had other ideas as with one out, Bradley picked up back-to-back singles. Sutko settled down following the two hits and tallied two punch outs to end the game handing Mercer a 12-11 win.
Â
Game Two
 Mercer struck first in game two in the bottom of the first as the Bears' first three hitters reached base; two by a single and one on a walk. With the bases loaded, Garett Delano drew a walk and the Bears took a 1-0 lead. Price followed with a sac fly, and the Bears lead grew to 2-0.
Â
The Bears lead was extended to 4-0 in the bottom of the second inning. CJ Keckler led off the inning with a double. After the first out of the inning, Bill Knight blasted a ball out to left field for a two-run bomb.
Â
The Braves answered back in the top of the third inning. After the first three batters reached base to open the inning, Jackson Kelley settled down and got two straight swinging strikeouts. It looked as if the Bears would get out of the inning unharmed, but Logan Delgado had other ideas as he roped a single off the right-center field wall. The game became tied after a throwing error by the Bears catcher allowed two Bradley runners to score.
Â
Mercer came back and regained the lead in the bottom of the frame with a solo home run by Price. This was his first homer of the season. The lead grew to 6-4 in the fourth after Delano plated Michie on an RBI single.
Â
Following the four-run inning by Bradley, Mercer's Kelley settled in over the next two innings and did not allow a run.
Â
The bats continued to stay hot for Mercer. With two on and two outs, Angelo DiSpigna came to the plate. He worked the count to 3-1 before he laced a homer over the right field fence and increased Mercer's lead to 9-4.
Mercer gave up its final run of the game in the top of the seventh inning. Husmann singled and Rawlinson scored trimming the lead down to four, 9-5.
Â
Over the next two innings, Mercer scored six runs. Yeager picked up an RBI in the seventh with a single. In the eighth, Blake Schmitt came up with the bases loaded and, after falling behind 0-2, drew a walk for another run. Austin and Knight followed with RBI singles, and Yaeger capped the scoring with a sac fly. Â
Â
Needing three outs, the Braves put the leadoff hitter on base. The Bears pitching locked in and got an out. Following the out, Shep Hancock came into pitch and got the first batter he faced to ground out. After a walk, he got another ground out to end the game.
Coach Gibson's Take
"What a great two games we had. It was a long day, but the team has to get used to it when we shift into conference play with these doubleheaders. I can't say enough about the offense this weekend. Brandon Michie was outstanding for us at the plate. He was great from the first pitch to the last pitch. We have put five games together and are starting to play a little better, and we need too. We now shift our focus to a great Georgia State team on Tuesday before we enter conference play next weekend." Â
Â
Records Update
» Mercer: 10-9
» Bradley: 5-7
Â
Pitchers of Record
Game 1
» Win: Luke Sutko (1-0)
» Loss: Theron Denlinger (0-1)
Â
Game 2
» Win: Jackson Kelley (2-2)
» Loss: Nick King (0-3)
Â
Notables
» The Bears scored 27 runs, 12 in game one and 15 in game two, on Saturday. This was the fifth straight game the Bears have scored 10 or more runs.    Â
» The Bears hit .353 as a team in the double header with an on-base percentage of .471. Collin Price and RJ Yeager led the team with four hits on the day.
» Mercer pitching tallied 28 strikeouts on the day, while only walking 10 batters.
» In game two, Jackson Kelley was dealing as he recorded 10 strikeouts in five innings of work. He picked up his second win of the year in the second game.   Â
» In game one of the doubleheader, Mercer hit its second grand slam in as many days. This time RJ Yeager hit the grand slam.
» Brandon Michie hit two more home run in game one of the doubleheader on Saturday. This was his second multi-home run game of the season.   Â
» Mercer has hit 26 home runs on the season. Brandon Michie leads the team with five.
» Mercer improved to 6-3 all-time against Bradley.
Â
Up Next
» Mercer: at Georgia State (6 p.m. Tuesday, March 23 at GSU Baseball Complex)
» Bradley: at Creighton (6:30 p.m. Friday, March 26 at TD Ameritrade 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.
Â
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Sutko, Luke (1-0)
L: Denlinger, Theron (0-1)
Batting:
HR: O'Brien, Connor 1 ; Rawlinson, Eli 1 ; Husmann, Carson 1
RBI: Dougherty, Brendan 1 ; Vogel, Ryan 2 ; O'Brien, Connor 2 ; Rawlinson, Eli 3 ; Husmann, Carson 3
SH: Chatterton, Jackson 1
SF: Dougherty, Brendan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Vogel, Ryan 1 ; Bolt, Dan 1 ; O'Brien, Connor 3 ; Rawlinson, Eli 2 ; Husmann, Carson 2 ; Manteufel, TJ 1 ; Chatterton, Jackson 1
SB: O'Brien, Connor 1
HBP: Manteufel, TJ 1
Batting:
HR: Yeager, RJ 1 ; Michie, Brandon 2
RBI: Knight, Bill 1 ; Yeager, RJ 4 ; Michie, Brandon 4 ; Price, Collin 2 ; Cherry, Jackson 1
SH: Cherry, Jackson 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Knight, Bill 1 ; Yeager, RJ 2 ; Michie, Brandon 3 ; Delano, Garett 1 ; DiSpigna, Angelo 1 ; Thomas, Colby 1 ; Cherry, Jackson 1 ; Austin, Trevor 2
SB: Delano, Garett 1
HBP: Knight, Bill 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
3
H
2
RBI
4
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballIF/RHP
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballIF/OF
/ BaseballC/OF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballMercer Football Press Conference (Week 3 vs. Wofford)
Monday, September 08
Mercer v. South Florida Men's Soccer Highlight Reel: 9/7/2025
Monday, September 08
Mercer v. Gardner-Webb Women's Soccer Highlight Reel: 9/7/2025
Monday, September 08
Mercer v. Kennesaw State Women's Soccer Highlight Reel: 9/4/2025
Friday, September 05
