Bears Use Late Rally For Midweek Win Over Florida A&M

Tuesday, April 8

Tallahassee, Fla.

4 p.m.

Mercer University

22-12

Florida A&M

17-16

Mercer

Florida A&M

Bears Use Late Rally For Midweek Win Over Florida A&M

4/8/2025 9:02:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

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

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – With the game knotted up at four going into the eighth inning, the Mercer baseball team pushed across two runs in the eighth and two runs in the ninth before holding off a ninth-inning rally from Florida A&M to secure an 8-5 win on Tuesday.

Drew Johnson (1-for-2, 3 RBI) hit his second home run of the season, while Ty Dalley (2-for-5) and Bradley Frye (2-for-6) each drove in two runs to power the Bears offensively. Lawson Cole got his first career start and tossed three shutout frames, while Jackson Gaspard posted 3 – 2/3 shutout frames of his own. Collin Ewaldsen picked up his first career save, entering with the bases loaded in the ninth and striking out both batters he faced to secure the win.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Following a quiet first inning from both offenses, the Bears got on the board first in the top of the second when Drew Johnson launched his second round tripper of the season to right field. The Rattlers looked primed to respond in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases with one out, but Cole was able to induce a 6-4-3 double play to escape the jam.

Leading off the top of the third, Zack Thompson continued to swing a hot bat by ripping a single to left field. After Ely Brown drew a walk, Titan Kamaka dropped down a sac bunt to put runners on second and third. Ty Dalley stepped in next and made a productive out, driving in Thompson with a groundout to second base. With two outs now in the inning, current SoCon Player of the Week Bradley Frye delivered yet another big hit, driving in Brown with a single to push the lead to three.

The Bears tacked on another run in the fourth, using an RBI fielder's choice from Brown to score Brant Baughcum. However, the Rattlers answered with a four-spot in the bottom of the inning to even things up.

In the fifth and sixth innings, the Bears seemed primed to retake the lead by loading up the bases, but came up empty-handed both times to keep things knotted up at four.

Mercer finally broke the stalemate in the eighth, as Dalley delivered his team-leading 13^th double of the season to drive in Kamaka. The Bears added another run in the inning on a bases-loaded HBP from Johnson to make the score 6-4.

Looking for insurance runs, the Bears struck again in the ninth inning. With runners on the corners, Frye placed a beauty of a bunt between the pitcher and first baseman and was able to beat it out for an RBI single. Following a walk, Johnson again stepped in with the bases loaded and again took advantage of a free pass, drawing a walk to extend the lead to four.

With their backs against the wall, the Rattlers would not go away quietly in the bottom of the ninth, loading the bases with nobody out. After a strikeout and a walk, Mercer made the move to the bullpen to bring in Collin Ewaldsen. With the tying run at first, Ewaldsen did not flinch, pumping in six consecutive strikes to punch-out both hitters he faced and lock down the win.

UP NEXT

The Bears return to OrthoGeorgia Park tomorrow for an in-state battle with Georgia Southern. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m., and fans can purchase tickets ahead of time at Mercerbears.com/tickets.