Cullowhee, N.C. – Mercer scored in bunches including a pair of three-run frames and a decisive eight-run fourth inning to complete the three-game series sweep over Western Carolina on Saturday afternoon with a 14-1 victory in seven innings in Southern Conference baseball action at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
Western Carolina suffered its first series sweep of the season after dropping Friday's doubleheader 11-9 and 8-7 in 11 innings. Mercer earned its third sweep in SoCon action this season, also taking all three games against The Citadel and UNCG earlier in April.
Mercer (30-17, 15-6 SoCon) used a trio of doubles and a run-scoring single in the top of the second inning to plate three runs and take a lead it would never relinquish. Junior
Daylan Nanny stretched his reached base safely streak to 39-consecutive games with a run-scoring single to bring home
Zach Ketterman in the bottom of the third to make it a two-run game, 3-1. However, it was as close as the Catamounts would get in the series finale.
For a second time in three games, the Bears broke the game open with a big inning in the fourth. RJ Yeager delivered a bases-clearing triple to right-center and Collin Price hit a three-run homer to key the frame with David Burke belting a two-run home run as a part of a three-run seventh inning to provide the final tally.
The Catamounts were limited to eight base runners in the loss, three reaching on singles and five walks. Only one time, coming in the seventh inning, did WCU manage more than one base runner in an inning as Ketterman lifted a one-out single into centerfield and
Pascanel Ferreras drew a two-out walk to put runners at first and second base.
WCU's three hits came from Nanny,
Luke Robinson to lead-off the fourth inning to extend his reached base safely streak to 23-straight, and Ketterman in the seventh.
Will Prater saw his 14-game hitting streak and 23-game reached base safely streaks both snapped in an 0-for-3 outing.
WCU starter
Jacob Corn (1-1) was saddled with the loss, surrendering three runs on five hits, striking out four against a walk in 2.2 innings of his first start of the season.
Dawson Elder, the fifth of six relieves used by the Catamounts on Saturday, struck out a career-best three in an inning and a third.
Mercer's 14 hits were spread between 10 different players with Yeager finishing a home run shy of the cycle in a 3-for-5, four-RBI effort. Price drove in three in a 1-for-3 effort while Garrett Delano and Bill Knight both finished 2-for-4, Delano driving in two and Knight one with a pair of runs scored.
Reliever Tommy Green (4-2) earned his second victory of the weekend out of the bullpen, striking out three in 2.1 innings of one-hit, scoreless relief work. Starter Fred Wilson struck out four against two walks in 2.2 innings, allowing WCU's only run on just one hit.
Western Carolina (22-17, 10-9 SoCon) wraps up the home portion of its 2021 schedule next weekend, hosting the Wofford Terriers at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium. Wofford completes its three-game series against The Citadel in Spartanburg on Sunday and plays at Duke on Tuesday before venturing to Cullowhee May 14-15.
