Pitching Shines, Katz Walks It Off On Opening Day

Friday, February 13

Macon, Ga.

6 p.m.

Mercer University

1-0

Troy

0-1

Troy

Mercer

Pitching Shines, Katz Walks It Off On Opening Day

2/13/2026 11:02:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Rylee Bamberger, Rylee.m.bamberger@live.mercer.edu

MACON – Bottom nine. 0-2 count. Chris Katz settles in the box. The pitch. *SMACK* It's going, going, GONE! The senior transfer's first home run as a Bear makes the ballpark erupt as Mercer players flood the field and the Bears take the 4-3 victory over Troy on opening day at OrthoGeorgia Park.

Decisive Plays:

Mercer jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with a pair of sacrifice plays in the bottom of the first. Troy cut the deficit in half with a sacrifice hit of its own before jumping into the lead with two runs in the top of the sixth. An RBI double by Titan Kamaka would bring Braydon Kersey home from first in the home half of the frame to tie it, 3-3. Collin Ewaldsen entered the contest in the top of the eighth, retiring three straight Trojans with two punchouts to keep it even. In the top of the ninth inning, Ewaldsen pitched himself out of a jam, striking out two batters and leaving the bases loaded to set up Katz' walk-off the next half-inning.

Key Contributors:

Chris Katz: 3-for-5, HR, 2 R, RBI
Titan Kamaka: 2-for-3, double, 2 RBI
Garrett Lambert: 4.1 IP, 4 BB, 3 SO, 2 H, ER, 76 pitches
Jess Ackerman: 2.2 IP, 2 BB, 5 SO, 2 H, 2 ER, 55 pitches
Collin Ewaldsen: 2.0 IP, W, 2 BB, 4 SO, 1 H, 0 ER, 47 pitches

Noteworthy:

Garrett Lambert made his first start in nearly two years after missing last season due to injury. The redshirt freshman threw 4.1 impressive innings limiting the Troy offense to just one earned run off two hits.
Chris Katz left an impact on his Mercer debut, going 3-for-5 with his first home run in the orange and black to walk it off and give the Bears the 4-3 win.
Collin Ewaldsen turned in the longest outing of his collegiate career. Although the sophomore reliever threw 2.0 innings last March, his 47 pitches today in that time span is a new career high. The Preseason All-SoCon First Team Reliever punched out four Trojans and left the bases juiced in the ninth inning to set up the walk-off opportunity.
The Bears have now won 14 of their last 16 season openers. Mercer is 18-5 on opening day under head coach Craig Gibson.

Next Games (Saturday, February 14):

There will be a doubleheader tomorrow vs. Troy at OrthoGeorgia Park. Game One will begin at 2:00 p.m. EST with the first pitch of Game Two scheduled for 45 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. Both contests will be nine-inning games. Tickets are available at mercerbears.com/tickets. You can watch the game on ESPN+. Live stats will be available at mercerbears.com

Pitching Matchups:
Game One - RHP Miguel Hugas (0-0, -.-- ERA) vs. RHP Noah Thigpen (0-0, -.-- ERA)
Game Two - TBA vs. LHP Benjamin Stubbs (0-0, -.-- ERA)