(Alex Lockwood / Cluster Staff) Russell Moses provided key relief in Mercer's big 6-3 win over Georgia Tech.

It took them a while to break .500 in conference play, but Mercer’s baseball team seems to have broken through against A-Sun opponents after a three-game series sweep against Lipscomb this past weekend. Despite the big wins and their overall record that approaches nearly 30 wins on the season, the Bears still find themselves in a log jam to get into the postseason tournament. As of Sunday, Mercer looked to be the eighth seed if the regular season had ended.

There’s good news, though, for head coach Craig Gibson and his talented squad. The schedule seems to soften a bit with away games against Winthrop, USC-Upstate and Georgia before their final home stand against Georgia State and ETSU.

Mercer 8, Savannah State 4

The Bears snapped a three-game losing streak against the Tigers in a single game of non-conference action, with reliever Jacob Matthews picking up the victory. Both teams generated most of their offense early in the game, and Mercer’s three-run inning in the bottom of the fifth would seal the fate of the contest. A wild pitch, sacrifice fly from John Moreland and an RBI double from freshman second baseman DJ Johnson would give Mercer the 6-3 going into the sixth inning.

Thomas Carroll would post another home run on the board early in the game but the key player of this game was Johnson, who pitched the final three innings to pick up the save while going 3-for-4 with an RBI from the plate.

North Florida 7, Mercer 5

The Bears fell to the Ospreys for their fourth consecutive conference loss in the first of a three-game series in Jacksonville. Mercer started out strong with a home run from Jacob Tanis in the top of the first. His 41st career shot gave Mercer the early 2-0 lead, but a pair of hits in the bottom half of the inning doomed the orange and black and gave UNF a 3-2 lead.

Mercer starter Brandon Love would settle in until the fifth inning when he would give up a solo home run, but the Bears’ offense remained nonexistent until the eighth inning when Austin Barrett would put a three-run homer over the fence in left-center field. UNF’s stout pitching late in the game would hold Mercer’s offense at bay to give the Ospreys their 11th conference win of the year.

Mercer 11, North Florida 6

It was a home run derby for the Bears as they broke their conference losing streak with a five-run win during the first game of a Saturday afternoon doubleheader. The fireworks started in the first inning when Jacob Tanis, John Moreland and Billy Burns all took round-trips to give MU the 5-0 lead. UNF’s own five-run outburst in the second inning would reel Mercer’s lead back in, but in the fifth inning Tanis and Joe Winker would crush the leather once again to give MU a commanding lead.

Pitcher J.T. Odom would pick up the win in seven innings of relief, the longest of his career. Jacob Tanis would lead the Bears on the day, with a 3-for-5 performance at the plate along with four RBI and two HRs.

North Florida 5, Mercer 0

It took two thirds of the season for it to come, but the Bears’ offense was finally shut out by an opposing team. UNF freshman pitcher Tyler Moore threw a gem in his complete game shutout, giving up eight hits but no runs over the course of the nine innings. The Ospreys broke up the tied ballgame in the fifth inning with a pair of RBI hits and two errors to give UNF the 2-0 lead. They would add two more runs in the sixth and one in the seventh to give Justice French his first loss of the season.

Mercer 6, #9 Ga. Tech 3

Lightning usually doesn’t strike the same place twice, unless you happen to be a good baseball team. Hosting the nationally ranked Yellow Jackets at home, Mercer picked up a huge win against the ACC team to give them their second win over a ranked opponent this year. A two-RBI double from John Moreland pushed Mercer’s lead to 3-0 early in the first inning while starter Matt McCall allowed only three hits in his three predetermined innings.

Reliever David Teasley worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning to preserve Mercer’s lead as a pair of doubles in the fifth inning would extend that lead to 6-2. Stellar pitching down the stretch from the arms of Russell Moses, J.T. Odom and DJ Johnson would preserve Mercer’s biggest home win of the 2011 campaign.

Mercer 10, Lipscomb 2

Craig Gibson got plenty of mileage out of junior Brandon Love’s arm as he went seven innings against the Bison, limiting the side to five hits and only one earned run. The offense, in turn, came through to support Love with plenty of force, including round-trippers for John Moreland, Thomas Carroll and Billy Burns. Reliever J.T. Odom’s late-game appearance marked his 96th outing of his career, moving him into 96th all-time in A-Sun history.

Mercer 6, Lipscomb 4

The bases were loaded in the top of the ninth with no outs, but J.T. Odom worked flawlessly with his side-armed delivery to give the Bears their second straight conference win against the Bison. Mercer’s three-run effort in the sixth inning would put them out in front late in the game, but Lipscomb came roaring back with a two-run home run in the top of the seventh.

MU’s pitching staff prevailed, though, as DJ Johnson would earn his first win of the season after pitching 2.1 innings late while teammates John Moreland (2-3, 1 RBI) and Billy Burns (2-4, 1 RBI) would help lead the batting order on the day.

Mercer 12, Lipscomb 2

Senior Justice French had another strong outing as third baseman Jacob Tanis blasted two more home runs into the stratosphere, giving MU the series sweep. Tanis’s grand slam in the seventh put the game out of reach as the junior continues to break school records and move up the A-Sun’s all-time list of home run hitters. Six runs in the first three innings made it a short day for LU starter Chris Nunn, but it was the dominant performance from French (6.2 IP, 8 H, 1 ER) that gave Mercer the win in their 43rd game of the season.

(photo courtesy of Mercer Bears.com ) Freshman second baseman DJ Johnson broke out of a recent slump, fueling Mercer’s powerful offense with a 4-for-5 effort in a 16-5 rout of Campbell in the opening game of the series in Buies Creek. The Bears now hold a 22-13 record with one month left in play.

The Bears are still within the thick of the conference standings in 7th at 8-9, boasting the 4th best overall record of 22-13, but if MU hopes to repeat its title run in 2011 they’ll have to gain ground in the conferences standings this month as they travel to UNF, USC Upstate and Kennesaw State while hosting Lipscomb and ETSU.

Mercer 4, #6 Georgia Tech 2
In a rematch of last year’s NCAA regionals, Georgia Tech looked primed for yet another victory as they scored in the bottom of the first off of an RBI double to right-center, courtesy of Yellow Jacket Matt Skole. Mercer pitcher Justice French would allow another run in the fourth inning, exiting the game by only giving up two earned runs on six hits in 3.2 innings.
The Bears started their offensive effort in the fifth inning when Derrick Workman’s RBI single would cut the lead in half. A bunt from Billy Burns in the seventh would score the ever speedy Evan Boyd to tie, and in the top of the eighth Boyd would score two with a double to right field to seal the game. Relief pitcher Russell Moses would keep Tech at bay for the rest of the contest, throwing 5.1 shutout innings to give Mercer the big victory.
“Just a great win for our program over a great team and I am so proud of how tough our guys played tonight,” said head coach Craig Gibson following the win. “Justice [French] and Russell [Moses] are two great seniors that pitched well for us tonight and Evan Boyd picked us up late with a big two-out hit. I hope we can carry this momentum forward for the rest of the season. We want to play on this field one more time this season because the way Georgia Tech is going they are on track to host another NCAA regional,” he added.

Mercer 16, Campbell 5
Traveling to Buies Creek is never an easy road trip, but Mercer looked to dominate in the Friday night contest in a game of offense. Freshman DJ Johnson broke out of a recent slump to four hits as five Bears recorded a multi-hit game. Billy Burns, Jacob Tanis, John Moreland, Travis Benn, Thomas Carroll and Blaine Matthews would all collect two RBI on the night as the Mercer offense looked unstoppable. Pitcher Brandon Love (4-0) would pick up another win after throwing six innings, giving up three runs on seven hits.

Mercer 12, Campbell 3
The Bears used the long ball to come back to beat the Camels after falling behind 1-0 in the first inning. Blast-offs courtesy of Thomas Carroll, Jacob Tanis and Austin Barrett helped MU extend their lead over Campbell in the late goings of the contest, posting yet another conference win. Reliever David Teasley would take over for starter Matt McCall in the fifth inning, pitching the remaining of the game without giving up a run to take the win.

Mercer 9, Campbell 5
Finishing off the Camels in the three-game series, a trio of runs in the ninth inning gave Mercer the cushion needed to win against the pesky Camels. Campbell tied the game at 4-4 in the third inning when they started to figure out MU starter Justice French, but a solo home run from Thomas Carroll in sixth once again gave the Bears the lead. Derrick Workman capped Mercer’s offensive drive in the ninth with his own solo home run as Jacob Matthews would take the win on two innings of scoreless relief.

Georgia State 9, Mercer 4
Errors can be costly, as Mercer found out against the Panthers in a midweek game in Atlanta. Mercer would score first with a 2-0 lead from an RBI single off the bat of Jacob Tanis and RBI groundout from Thomas Carroll, but a Georgia State home run combined with a passed ball gave the Panthers a 4-2 lead midway.
The Panthers would only extend their lead for the remainder of the night as the orange and black’s offense was kept relatively quiet in the non-conference loss.

Mercer 14, Ga. Southern 1
Bouncing back from the loss at Panthersville, freshman pitcher Brandon Barker threw five innings of scoreless baseball in front of a large crowd at JI Clements Stadium to position the Bears for the win. Ending the Eagles’ seven-game winning streak, Mercer’s scoring started in the second inning when Joe Winker hit a bases-loaded RBI single to score two. Following a DJ Johnson single as well as a Billy Burns double, Mercer lead rose to 6-0 at the end of the second inning.
Mercer cruised to victory with a 13-0 advantage after six innings, giving Barker his third win of the year in a rout.
“We just came out with a good energy tonight and elevated our level of play after a disappointing effort last night at Georgia State,” Gibson said in the postgame interview on MercerBears.com. “It is always important to get these big mid-week games,” he added.

Jacksonville 7, Mercer 6
Fielding again bit the Bears in the behind as six unearned runs for Jacksonville proved costly in the one-run victory for the Dolphins. A pair of errors in the fifth would bring up JU’s Dan Gulbransen to crush a grand slam to tie the game at 6-6. JU would again score in the seventh when Jonathan Murphy reached base after striking out (due to a passed ball), later scoring on an RBI single to give the Dolphins the late win. Unfortunately, senior John Moreland’s two home runs and three RBI were for naught as the Bears dropped to 0-6 in one-run games this season.

Jacksonville 9, Mercer 6
Chicks dig the long ball at JU as the dolphins crushed fifteen hits and three home runs on the way to cruising to victory. Knocking starter Matt McCall out of the game after only four innings, the damage was complete early as JU’s Kevin Lehane (3-4, 1 RBI) would lead the way from the plate. Mercer’s Travis Benn and Austin Barrett would respond with their own home runs, but the effort was too little too late in the Saturday contest.

Jacksonville 6, Mercer 5
Frustration summed up the series for the Bears as they lost yet another one-run game in extra innings. Despite having the winning run on third in the bottom of the ninth, Mercer failed to capitalize against JU’s Chris Anderson, who picked up the victory after three shutout innings. The Bears started out on the right track with a 4-0 lead after five innings, but the Dolphins tied the game in the seventh before scoring the sixth run in the top of the tenth. Thomas Carroll would finish the day 3 for 4 with a triple and an RBI to lead the way for Mercer.

(Alex Lockwood / Cluster Staff) A strong pitching performance from the starting rotation has kept the Bears in tight games despite a recent lack of offense.

After a phenomenal opening month to the college baseball season, fans around the A-Sun took notice of the defending conference champs after series wins against Belmont and FGCU. A pair of conference series against #30 Stetson and in-state rival Kennesaw State would soon follow, sandwiched in between two non-conference games against Florida A&M and Savannah State.

But as the saying goes, “All good things must come to an end.” Mercer stumbled in three one-run contests against the Hatters before dropping another conference game to the Owls in a seven-game stretch they would rather forget. Despite the close losses though, the team remains on track to defending their 2010 title with upcoming series on the road with Campbell and North Florida while hosting Jacksonville to kick off April.

Stetson 4, Mercer 3
The Friday night contest came down to the last out as Hatters’ reliever Robbie Powell made quick work of Blaine Matthews and Billy Burns to keep the Mercer baserunner on third from crossing home plate to tie the game. For the spectators in the stands, it was a thriller that began in the first inning with an RBI single from Thomas Carroll’s bat. Stetson would quickly answer in the bottom half of the first adding their own run to tie the affair.
MU starter Matt McCall would hold Stetson to only one more run in the second inning before getting knocked out of the game in the fifth with two base runners. Stetson’s offense came roaring back to life in the sxith inning with a pair of singles to make the game 4-1, however Mercer would fight back with their own version of ‘small ball’ in the seventh to score two runs. Matthew Black and Billy Burns would tally RBIs, but the Bears would come no closer as Powell would record the save in the ninth to give Stetson the victory.

Stetson 3, Mercer 2
For the second night in a row, the Bears lost a heartbreaker after a solid pitching performance from Brandon Love (7.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 H). Mercer would take the first two runs of the contest in the third and fourth innings, as Evan Boyd would score after a strikeout throw to first in conjunction with a Derrick Workman triple that put senior John Moreland across the plate.
Despite the Bears’ two run lead, Stetson would bounce back in the fourth, adding a run, before a late game surge in the eighth and ninth innings. A pair of singles knocked in runs late for Stetson, ensuring the Saturday win in another classic between the A-Sun’s oldest rivals. Notably, John Moreland would go 2-4 in the contest with a pair of doubles, leading the way for Mercer.

Stetson 3, Mercer 2
Different day, same result. The late meltdown was a hard pill to swallow for the orange and black as the Hatters scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth to send Mercer back to Macon empty handed.  Stetson scored the game’s first run in the third on a wild pitch from Justice French and an error to take a 1-0 lead.
Derrick Workman’s double in the eight followed by an RBI groundout by Billy Burns and Evan Boyd’s run after a wild pitch gave Mercer a 2-1 lead. However, Stetson rebounded in resounding fashion in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI triple from Mark Jones to take the final lead of the night, thus giving the Hatter’s the series sweep.

Mercer 9, FAMU 4
Following the Bears’ longest losing streak of the season, the orange and black took out their frustrations on the Rattlers from Tallahassee in a night of career milestones. Billy Burns would record his 50th stolen base of his career as junior Jacob Tanis would tally his 150th RBI in the first inning.
The contest was over after a five run first inning from Mercer courtesy of a pair of hits from Tanis, Travis Benn as well as an RBI groundout from Derrick Workman. FAMU would score two runs in the first two innings and then two in the eighth, but a strong performance from Brandon Barker (2-0) would give him the win as the pitching staff kept the Rattlers at bay for most of the night despite their 13 hits. Jacob Tanis and Austin Barrett would record homeruns in the game while Benn(2-3, 3 RBI) would be the team’s most productive hitter on the night.

Mercer 12, Sav. St. 4
Traveling to Savannah for another game against the Tigers, Mercer broke through in remarkable fashion to record the school’s first win in Savannah since the series between the Tigers and Bears began in 1997. Savannah State would start the scoring in the first frame, but an RBI double from Austin Barrett would tie the game in the second inning. A pair of hits from Thomas Carroll and Jacob Tanis in the top of the third would seal the game, including Carroll’s 200th hit of his career, putting Mercer on top 4-1.
Austin Barrett’s homerun (his second in two games), would help the Bears club away the Tigers. Late game theatrics from the Bears would include a two-RBI triple courtesy of John Moreland in the sixth and a Nate Moorhouse homerun in the seventh inning as Mercer’s pitcher by committee approach kept the game in check.
“Tonight was a good win for us to break the streak we had against those guys and to continue to get back on track offensively,” said head coach Craig Gibson on MercerBears.com following the contest.

Kenn. St. 5, Mercer 3
While the Bears may have lost, the highlight of the game was a triple play in the first inning, a first for Mercer baseball in the modern era (1948-present). When Mercer starting pitcher Brandon Love found himself in a jam with the bases loaded and no outs, KSU’s Ronnie Freeman grounded out into the triple play to electrify the crowd.
The Bears’ bats responded in the same fashion in the bottom half of the inning with two-run homerun from Jacob Tanis to give Mercer the 2-0 lead. The margin appeared to be enough for Mercer until Love struggled in the middle of the game. After striking out six batters in a row, a pair of hits and a sacrifice fly would give KSU the lead for the game. The loss marked Mercer’s fifth consecutive conference loss in a row.

Mercer 6, Kenn. St. 4
In a rain shortened contest, Mercer did enough to pick up the win to break their conference losing streak, sending the Owls back to Kennesaw after the third and final game of the series was canceled due to weather. Matt McCall would earn the victory for Mercer after pitching 5.1 innings and giving up four runs on seven hits. KSU would score first, but Mercer responded in the fourth with three runs to give Mercer a 5-4 lead. Derrick Workman (3-5, 1 RBI, 1 R) would lead MU’s offense on the night from the leadoff position as the Bears rebounded at Claude Smith Field.