Bears win 9-5 for Gibson's 600th

Friday, March 4

Macon, Ga.

6 P.M.

Mercer University

9-1

UNC Asheville

3-7

UNC Asheville

Mercer

3/4/2022 9:56:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Runs in late innings secure milestone win for Coach Craig Gibson

MACON, Ga. – Not wanting to suffer a letdown, Mercer dispatched UNC Asheville by a 9-5 score in Friday night's series opener. With the win, it is Coach Craig Gibson's 600^th career victory.

Asheville struck for the early advantage with two out in their half of the first when Robbie Burnett roped a solo shot to right center for the one-run lead.

In relief, Wesley Franklin (2-1) picked up the win for the Bears. In 2.1 innings, he fanned two of nine faced, allowing a run on a single hit and yielded a pair of walks.

Mercer (9-1) answered with three as they took advantage of miscues – a throwing error and a wild pitch – in the bottom of the second. Behind consecutive walks from Collin Price and Le Bassett, Treyson Hughes drove in Price on a double to level it at 1-1. David Burke reached first on an E5 that plated Bassett and advanced Hughes 90 feet to third. Hughes then crossed home following a wild pitch.

An inning later with a pair on and a pair out, a Hughes single drove in Bill Knight for their fourth consecutive run. In Asheville's fourth, they cut the lead to just one when Dylan Bacot homered to right center. The Bears got one back when Price's fifth inning double brought in Bill Knight for the run to make it a 5-3 ballgame.

The Bulldogs sliced the deficit in half when MJ Lucas crossed home plate as Ty Kaufman grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. One run would be all Asheville would notch in the seventh as Beau Healy fanned Dominic Freeberger with a runner on third to end the threat.

Mercer got one back in the seventh when Colby Thomas knocked a solo shot to right center to bring the lead back to 2 at 6-4.
COACH GIBSON'S THOUGHTS
Hear from @CraigGibson_MU on tonight's win!#WinnersWin | #RoarTogether pic.twitter.com/hEMLZNosb3 — Mercer Baseball (@MercerBaseball) March 5, 2022

COACH GIBSON ON WIN NO. 600
More from @CraigGibson_MU reflecting on tonight's win….the 6️⃣0️⃣0️⃣th of his career!#WinnersWin | #RoarTogether pic.twitter.com/XjJm9XCS21 — Mercer Baseball (@MercerBaseball) March 5, 2022

Thomas extended Mercer's lead when Price advanced to first on the free pass with the bases packed with Bears. On the ensuing at-bat, two more scored on a Dominik Ramil single to shallow left to stretch the Bears' lead to 9-5. The single by Ramil was his first of the season.

These two sides will meet for the second game of three tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. Tanner Hall is expected to be on the bump for the Bears, opposite Asheville's Jacob Edwards.