Box Score

Cullowhee, N.C. - Junior southpaw Tristan Baker struck out five batters in tossing the first complete game of his career on Saturday afternoon, but Western Carolina was unable to solve the Mercer pitching duo of Chase Burks and Robert Broom as the Bears claimed a 4-1 victory to even the best-of-three Southern Conference series at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.

Burks (5-3) allowed the one WCU run in the second inning, otherwise limiting the Catamounts to four hits over a five-inning start, exiting after facing one batter in the bottom of the sixth inning. Mercer ace reliever Robert Broom collected his second save of the year with a four-inning relief effort, facing just two over the minimum with a pair of hits allowed and four strikeouts.

Baker (1-5) only walked one batter in allowing the four runs -- three of which were earned -- for WCU in posting a career-long outing. He also went 0-for-2 at the plate, lifted for a pinch hitter late in the game but remained on the mound.

Mercer halted both a six-game seasonal slide and a five-game winless drought against Western Carolina with the three-run victory, while the loss for WCU sets up a series rubber match on Sunday after the Catamounts took game one, 8-4, on Friday. First pitch on Sunday is scheduled for 1:00 pm in a game that will be broadcast on ESPN+ (subscription required).

Freshman Justice Bigbie extended his current hitting streak to 15-consecutive games, posting his seventh multi-hit performance during the current run in a 2-for-4 outing. The Chesapeake, Va., native doubled in the first inning to stretch his career-best streak. WCU's remaining four hits were scattered between four batters.

Senior Caleb Robinson drove in the lone Catamount marker on a second inning single up the middle in a 1-for-3 performance, while redshirt sophomore Justin Sparks singled to push his hitting streak to six games. Also singling for WCU were Matthew Koehler and Will Prater, both finishing 1-for-4 offensively, and though his hitting streak ended at six games, senior catcher Spencer Holcomb was hit by a pitch to run his reached base safely streak to 10-consecutive.

Mercer (27-14, 7-7 SoCon) used a two-out, two-run double down the third base line by Sean McDermott in the top of the second inning to grab a lead it would never relinquish on Saturday afternoon. The Catamounts responded in the home half of the frame as Sparks was plated on a sharp single up the middle by Caleb Robinson to trim the deficit in half, 2-1.

The Bears, who lead the SoCon in home runs on the season, were content to play small ball the rest of the way, capitalizing twice on sacrifice bunts to push runners into scoring position with single runs scored in both the fifth and ninth innings. Alex Hanson reached on a lead-off single in the fifth before being moved into position by Trey Truitt on the sac bunt before Jackson Ware drove in the run on a single through the right side in the fifth. In the ninth, RJ Yeager reached on an infield error before McDermott laid down the sacrifice with Hanson plating the insurance marker on his second hit of the day -- fourth of the series.

Western Carolina's best chance to mount a rally came in the sixth inning. Prater led-off with a single up the middle that chased Burks. Bigbie then reached on a one-out, high chopping single to second that put runners at the corners. However, Broom was able to record back-to-back strikeouts -- one looking, one swinging -- to end the threat.

After the sixth, WCU (4-33, 2-12 SoCon) only managed one base runner as Sparks led-off the seventh with a single. Broom and the Bears retired the final nine Catamount hitters in order to secure the series-evening victory.

In addition to Hanson, Ware and Yeager both collected two hits apiece for Mercer which finished with 10 base knocks on the day. McDermott had two RBI.

Game three is scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 pm in Cullowhee.