First Inning Outburst Helps Bears Topple Tennessee Tech

Friday, March 14

Macon, Ga.

6 p.m.

Mercer University

13-6

Tennessee Tech

14-5

Tennessee Tech

Mercer

First Inning Outburst Helps Bears Topple Tennessee Tech

3/14/2025 9:53:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Donovan Schultz, donovan.schultz@live.mercer.edu

MACON – The Mercer baseball team exploded for five runs in the first inning and did not look back, taking down Tennessee Tech by a score of 9-1 on Friday night.

The Bears scored five times in the first, once in the second and three times in the third inning to jump out to a big lead, while Mercer pitching took care of the rest with eight consecutive zeroes. Titan Kamaka (2-for-5) crushed a three-run home run, while Brant Baughcum (3-for-4) and Ely Brown (3-for-5) had three hit days to lead the Bears at the plate. Colton Cosper (3-1) earned his third win in a row with another stellar outing, tossing five innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts, while Andrew Garnett and Riley Cruce took it the rest of the way with four shutout frames.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Tennessee Tech drew first blood in the top of the first, stringing together three hits to get on the scoreboard. However, Cosper collected two huge outs to strand runners at second and third and limit the damage.

The Bears went to work quickly in the bottom of the first, using a single, walk and bunt single to load the bases. After a fly out, the Mercer lineup exploded for four consecutive RBI singles to break things open. Baughcum got the party started when he laced an RBI single up the middle to score two. Brown stepped in next and slapped a single the other way to drive in a run before Zach Thomas joined in on the fun in the next at-bat, picking up an opposite field single of his own for another run. Finally, Drew Johnson lined a single to right to score yet another run and knock out the Golden Eagles' starter. When the inning was all said and done, the Bears batted around and tallied six hits to take a 5-1 lead.

After needing 30 pitches to get through the first inning, Cosper breezed through his second inning of work in 12 pitches for a big shutdown frame. The Bears continued to hit in the home half, using a walk and a single to get a runner to third base for Baughcum, who lifted a sac fly to left for another run.

The Bears kept the pedal to the metal in the third, using a walk and a single to put two on with one out for Kamaka. The Bears' leadoff hitter got a 2-2 pitch over the plate and punished it, driving a no-doubt home run over the left field wall for his third homer in the last six games to make the score 9-1.

From that point on, pitchers on both sides combined to silence the bats. Cosper worked through two more scoreless innings in the fourth and fifth, capped by three strikeouts in the fifth to end his night. Garnett took over for Cosper in the sixth for his second appearance of the season and was excellent, working three shutout frames with only two hits allowed. After retiring the last seven hitters he faced, Garnett gave way to Cruce in the ninth inning, who struck out two in a 1-2-3 inning to close it out.

The Bears take on Tennessee Tech in game two of the series tomorrow at 2 p.m. at OrthoGeorgia Park before wrapping up the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. Fans can get their tickets ahead of time by visiting MercerBears.com/Tickets.