Mercer University
35-12, 9-5
Samford
23-21, 8-6
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 13 | 1 |
| Samford | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 16 | 2 |
Bears Win Home Run Derby And Clinch Series Against Samford
5/2/2026 8:28:00 PM | Baseball
Decisive Plays:
For the second day in a row, the Bears jumped out to an early lead. This time, Chris Katz gave Mercer a 1-0 advantage in the top of the first with his 16th home run on the year. Samford answered with a Jake Souders solo home run in the home half of the frame. Logan Shepherd broke out of a slump where he went 3-for-17 with a three-run home run (15) in the top of the third. Titan Kamaka capped off a four-run inning for the Bears with an RBI single. Luke Boykin cut the Bulldogs' deficit in half with a two-run home run in the bottom of the inning. After Katz brought home a run by drawing a walk with the bases loaded, Eli Stephens launched a grand slam to left-center field in the top of the fourth. Parker McDonald made it a 10-4 ballgame with a home run in the home half of the inning. Braydon Kersey launched his first home run of the day (18) over the Bulldogs' bullpen the next inning. Kamaka brought Katz home with his second RBI single of the day before Kersey launched Mercer's second grand slam of the night to right-center field in the top of the sixth. Samford strung together three runs in the seventh and one run in the eighth to give the Bulldogs hope before Lawson Cole slammed the door.
Key Contributors:
Braydon Kersey:Â 2-for-5, 5 RBI, 2 HR, 2 R
Eli Stephens:Â 1-for-3, 4 RBI, HR, 2 R
Chris Katz:Â 3-for-4, 2 RBI, HR, 2B, 4 R, BB
Logan Shepherd:Â 1-for-3, 3 RBI, HR, 2 R, 2 BB
Notables:
- The Bears' win over Samford on Saturday afternoon extends their winning streak to 10 games, the longest of their season and longest since 1992.
- Mercer mashed five home runs at Joe Lee Griffin Field on Saturday afternoon to reach triple digits on the season. The Bears have launched 101 balls over the fence and have the third-most of any team in the country.
- Braydon Kersey now has 19 home runs on the season after his two-homer performance on Saturday afternoon. The sophomore from Alpharetta, Georgia, is one round-tripper away from tying Mercer greats Eric Toth, Kyle Lewis, Chris Clayton and Frank Millerd for the eighth-most home runs by a Bear in a single season.
The Bears conclude their weekend series against Samford on Sunday, May 3. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. RHP Jeb Johnson (2-2, 5.06 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound for Mercer and RHP Noah Berry (4-1, 2.61 ERA) is slated to oppose him. Live stats are available here. All games will be streamed on ESPN+.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hugas, Miguel (8-2)
L: Mason Blasche (3-6)
Batting:
2B: Katz, Chris 1 ; Buffone, Ethan 1
HR: Shepherd, Logan 1 ; Katz, Chris 1 ; Stephens, Eli 1 ; Kersey, Braydon 2
RBI: Shepherd, Logan 3 ; Katz, Chris 2 ; Stephens, Eli 4 ; Kamaka, Titan 2 ; Kersey, Braydon 5
Base Running:
RUNS: Graziano, Michael 2 ; Shepherd, Logan 2 ; Katz, Chris 4 ; Stephens, Eli 2 ; Kamaka, Titan 1 ; Baughcum, Brant 1 ; Kersey, Braydon 2 ; Buffone, Ethan 2
SB: Graziano, Michael 1
HBP: Graziano, Michael 1 ; Baughcum, Brant 1
Batting:
HR: Jake Souders 1 ; Luke Boykin 1 ; Parker McDonald 1
RBI: Jake Souders 1 ; Trey Higgins 2 ; Luke Boykin 2 ; Eddie Marshall 1 ; Parker McDonald 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Pierce Dutton 1 ; Jake Souders 2 ; Cade Carr 1 ; Trey Higgins 1 ; Luke Boykin 1 ; Jeffrey Ince 1 ; Parker McDonald 1
SB: Gus Gandy 1
HBP: Trey Higgins 1
