Graziano’s Double, Katz’s Blast Secures Sweep Over Columbia

Sunday, February 22

Macon, Ga.

12 p.m.

Mercer University

6-1

Columbia

0-3

Columbia

Mercer

Graziano’s Double, Katz’s Blast Secures Sweep Over Columbia

2/22/2026 4:10:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

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

MACON – A five-run second inning held strong as the Mercer Bears (6-1) earned their first sweep of the season over the Ivy League preseason favorites on Sunday afternoon at OrthoGeorgia Park.

Decisive Plays:

A tale told many times this series, the Columbia Lions (0-3) plated the first run of the game when Tate Vogler singled to center field. The Bears jumped into the lead in the home half of the second inning courtesy of a three-run double by Michael Graziano. Chris Katz launched his third homer of the season to plate two more runs later in the frame. Vogler's second RBI of the day cut the Lions' deficit to three and Owen Estabrook's home run in the seventh brought Sunday afternoon's contest to 5-3. Andrew Garnett took the mound and struck out the first three batters he faced to shut down Columbia's momentum. Collin Ewaldsen pitched a perfect eighth inning before Braydon Kersey took the mound with the Bears' first save opportunity of the season. After a two-out home run by Vogler, Kersey struck out the next batter he faced to pick up his first save of the season and second of his collegiate career.

Key Contributors:

Michael Graziano: 1-for-2, 3 RBI, double
Chris Katz: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, HR
Jess Ackerman: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, W
Andrew Garnett: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 15 NP

Noteworthy:

Chris Katz finished 2-for-5 from the plate with a two-run home run. The senior outfielder currently has a seven-game hitting streak and a three-game multi-hit streak.
Michael Graziano went 1-for-2 with a three-run double before being subbed out in the fifth inning. The junior center fielder ties Katz for the longest active hitting streak at seven games.
The Bears earned their first sweep of the season with a 5-4 win over Columbia on Sunday afternoon. Mercer finished 2025 with two weekend sweeps including a dominant three-game stretch against UNC Greensboro from April 25-27.

Next Game:

The Bears continue this stretch of home games on Tuesday, February 24 and Wednesday, February 25 against Florida A&M at OrthoGeorgia Park. First pitch for Tuesday's game is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. and Wednesday is slated to start at 4:00 p.m. Pitching matchups are TBD. Live stats will be available at mercerbears.com. Tickets are available at http://mercerbears.com/tickets.