Cosper Complete Game Seals Win Over UNCG

Friday, April 28

Macon, Ga.

6 p.m.

Mercer University

27-16, 0

UNC Greensboro

18-24, 0

UNC Greensboro

Mercer

Colton Cosper on the follow through of a pitch

4/28/2023 8:55:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

First nine-inning complete game for Mercer since 2018

By: KC Wetherington

MACON, Ga. – Led by a complete game by Colton Cosper, the Mercer baseball program (27-16) defeated UNCG (18-24, 5-8), 10-3, to open the weekend series on Friday at OrthoGeorgia Park. Cosper recorded the first nine-inning complete game for Mercer since 2018. Carter Sanford led the Bears on offense with Mercer's third grand slam of the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Cosper lasted all nine innings for the Bears throwing 118 pitches, facing 33 Spartans, and striking out a career-high nine batters. Cosper also retired the side in the first, seventh and eighth innings in his complete game.

Mercer got on the board early after a double down the left field line by Eric Toth scored Treyson Hughes. Toth was brought home when Joszef Rohrbacher singled to right field.

In the top of the second, Jackson Cherry kept the Spartans from scoring with a home run-robbing catch against Dosi Jonas at the right field wall, but in the next at-bat Mitchell Smith homered over the left field wall. Cosper stayed diligent on the mound and the inning ended with a strikeout and a fly out to Hughes in center.

The top of the third was a quick inning for the Bears when Rohrbacher and Hughes each caught fly outs and Carter Sanford threw down to second and caught a runner stealing.

Hughes led off in the bottom of the third with a single to left and advanced to second on a balk before Antonio Brown bunted him over to third. Toth was intentionally walked followed by a walk for Rohrbacher as Sanford stepped in the box with bases loaded and one out. After a quick mound visit, Sanford hit a grand slam over the center field wall and four Bears crossed the plate. This was Sanford's fifth home run in six games after he earned national and conference player of the week honors.

The Spartans started the top of the fifth with a double to right field, and after two ground outs, an error scored Dallas Callahan. Cosper got out of the inning with a strikeout and the Bears were still up by four runs.

In the top of the sixth, Bradley Frye started the inning off with a diving play and a quick throw to Ty Dalley followed by a strikeout and foul territory catch by Cosper. With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Ty Dalley hit a 423-foot moon shot that bounced on the batter's eye in center field on the first pitch of his at bat to further the lead.

Cosper went three up, three down again in the top of the seventh with a strikeout, a line out to Antonio Brown and a fly out to Hughes in center. The Spartans brought in Price King to take over on the mound after Brown was hit by a pitch, but Toth hit a two-run homer over the left field wall.

Cosper had another three up, three down inning in the top of the eighth with two fly outs and a strikeout. In the bottom of the eighth, Hughes hit another single to left which scored Frye. In the top of the ninth, Jonas led off with a homerun for the Spartans, but it was not enough to offset the Bears.

One two punch with @carter_sanford and @ColtonCosper 👊🏽#GoodToGreat || #WinnersWin pic.twitter.com/ixlfg7kQv3
— Mercer Baseball (@MercerBaseball) April 29, 2023

NOTES

Colton Cosper recorded the first nine-inning complete game for Mercer since 2018 when Sawyer Gipson-Long threw a one-hitter against Savannah State. Josh Farmer threw a seven-inning complete game against ETSU earlier this season.
Nine strikeouts are a career high for Cosper.
Carter Sanford hit his sixth home run of the season and fifth in six games. His home run was the third grand slam of the season for Mercer.
Ty Dalley hit his 14^th home run of the season. Entering Friday's game, Dalley was tied for first in the SoCon for home runs. Dalley's home run was hit on the first pitch of his at-bat.
Eric Toth hit his 13^th home run of the season. Entering Friday's game, Toth was tied for third in the SoCon for home runs.

SCORING SUMMARY
B1| Mercer 1, UNCG 0                  Toth doubled to the left field line, RBI; Hughes scored.
B1| Mercer 2, UNCG 0                  Rohrbacher singled to right field, RBI; Toth scored.
T2| Mercer 2, UNCG 1                   M. Smith homered to left field, RBI.
B3| Mercer 6, UNCG 1                  Sanford homered to center field, 4 RBI; Rohrbacher scored; Toth scored; Sanford scored.
T5| Mercer 6, UNCG 2                   D. Callahan scored on an error, unearned.
B6| Mercer 7, UNCG 2                  Dalley homered to center field, RBI.
B7| Mercer 9, UNCG 2                  Toth homered over the left field wall, 2 RBI; Brown scored.
B8| Mercer 10, UNCG 2                Hughes singled to left, RBI; Frye scored.
T9| Mercer 10, UNCG 3                D. Jonas homered to left field, RBI.

UP NEXT: Mercer and UNCG continue the series on Saturday, April 29 at 2 p.m. at OrthoGeorgia Park.

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