Bears Suffer Late Comeback by Western Carolina

Sunday, April 2

Macon, Ga.

1 p.m.

Mercer University

18-11, 0

Western Carolina University

12-15, 0

Western Carolina

Mercer

Bears Suffer Late Comeback by Western Carolina

4/2/2023 6:02:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: KC Wetherington

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer baseball program (18-11, 3-3) succumbed to a devastating comeback by Western Carolina (12-15, 3-3) to drop Sunday's game, 15-14, and the weekend series, 2-1. The Catamounts scored eight runs in the ninth to overcome a seven-run deficit.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The first inning started off strong for the Bears after Josh Farmer only faced three batters and Ben Olson threw out a runner attempting to steal second. The Bears were ready to get the bats going and Trevor Austin led off with a double to center field. Jackson Cherry put Austin in scoring position, and Eric Toth sent him home with a sacrifice fly, putting the Bears on the board.

The Catamounts responded in the second inning after a two-run homer by Nate Stocum followed by a double that would put WCU in the lead. Farmer was able to bail the Bears out, allowing Mercer to retake the lead.

Jozsef Rohrbacher and Olson hit back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the second. Both batters only saw two pitches before hitting their fourth and second home runs of the season, respectively.

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— Mercer Baseball (@MercerBaseball) April 2, 2023

Kiss that one goodbye @_olson04 #GoodToGreat || #WinnersWin pic.twitter.com/TQ2JBpwHFD
— Mercer Baseball (@MercerBaseball) April 2, 2023

In the third, a home run by James Hinson scored three runs for the Catamounts, but Farmer went on to retire the inning after shutting down three batters in a row.

The bottom of the third was eventful for the Bears as they faced three different Catamount pitchers, scored five runs and took a four-run lead. It all started when Treyson Hughes reached first on a dropped third strike and Rohrbacher and Olson walked back-to-back to load the bases with just one out.

Dalley singled to right field, bringing Hughes and Rohrbacher across the plate, but the scoring did not stop there. Bradley Frye doubled to left center to score Olson, and the Catamounts brought in a new pitcher who immediately hit Austin and loaded the bases once again.

Cherry was walked which brought in another run, causing WCU to change pitchers once more in hopes that the inning would be closed out. This came in time but not before walking another runner across the plate and giving the Bears a 9-5 lead.

Holton McGaha came in for Farmer during the fourth inning and was able to get the Bears out of it with only one run added for the Catamounts. The bottom of the fourth was not looking promising for Mercer as Ty Dalley stepped up to the plate with two outs and no runners on base. However, Dalley managed to put another run on the board after hitting a 420 feet home run over the center field batters eye. Cherry followed this up with a three-run shot to right field, scoring Frye and Austin.

The Bears led 13-6 going into the fifth inning, and McGaha only let up one more run. The Bears got into a little bit of trouble in the top of the eighth inning and brought in Jaxon O'Neal in relief. The bases were loaded with one out when Austin turned a double play to get out of the inning.

After Frye scored off Eric Toth's single to center in the bottom of the eighth, the Bears just needed three outs to clinch the series. It was looking promising after a fly out to Treyson Hughes in center and ground out to Frye at second, but after a three-run homer by Cole Jones, the Catamounts gained some momentum.

Western Carolina loaded the bases, allowing Pascanel Ferreras to launch his second grand slam of the weekend to tie the game at 14-14. On the next pitch, James Hinson hit another home run to give the Catamounts a one-run lead. Mercer could not find an offensive spark in the bottom of the ninth, failing to score and giving WCU the win.

NOTES

The teams combined for 10 home runs.
15 total pitchers took the mound (Nine for Western Carolina, Six for Mercer).
Mercer is now 6-3 in one-run games this season.

SCORING SUMMARY
B1| Mercer 1, WCU 0                    Toth flied out to right field, Austin scored, unearned.
T2| Mercer 1, WCU 2                    Stocum homered to right field, 2 RBI; Spyke scored.
B2| Mercer 2, WCU 2                    Rohrbacher homered to right center.
B2| Mercer 3, WCU 2                    Olson homered to left field.
B2| Mercer 4, WCU 2                    Austin singled to right field, RBI; Dalley scored.
T3| Mercer 4, WCU 5                    Hinson homered to right field, 3 RBI; Ferreras scored, Butterworth scored.
B3| Mercer 6, WCU 5                    Dalley singled to right, 2 RBI; Rohrbacher scored, Hughes scored.
B3| Mercer 7, WCU 5                    Frye doubled to left center, RBI; Olson scored.
B3| Mercer 8, WCU 5                    Cherry walked, RBI; Dalley scored.
B3| Mercer 9, WCU 5                    Hughes walked, RBI; Frye scored.
T4| Mercer 9, WCU 6                    Ferreras singled to left field, RBI; Harbison scored.
B4| Mercer 10, WCU 6                Dalley homered to center field, RBI.
B4| Mercer 13, WCU 6                Cherry homered to right field, 3 RBI; Austin scored, Frye scored.
T5| Mercer 13, WCU 7                Ketterman homered to right center, RBI.
B8| Mercer 14, WCU 7                Toth singled to center field, RBI; Frye scored.
T9| Mercer 14, WCU 10                Jones homered to right center, 3 RBI; Stocum scored, Hinson scored.
T9| Mercer 14, WCU 14                Ferreras homered to center field, 4 RBI; scoring, Butterworth, Riesselmann, Harbison.
T9| Mercer 14, WCU 15                Hinson homered to right center, RBI.

UP NEXT: Mercer remains at home for a midweek game against Florida A&M on Tuesday, April 4 at 6 p.m.

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