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Damek Tomscha hit his second home run of the year, Jordan Ebert was 3-for-3 at the plate, and Auburn took Game 1 of the weekend series against Mercer, 9-5, Friday night at Plainsman Park.
Tomscha, batting third in the order for Auburn (7-6), came to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the first and crushed the first pitch he saw, sending a no-doubter over the green monster in left field. With runners on first and second and one out in the second, Ebert drove a ball to the gap in left, scoring Blake Logan and Keegan Thompson on a two-RBI triple. He came home one batter later on a well-executed squeeze bunt by Anfernee Grier.
In the fifth, Ebert led off with a single, advanced to second on a Grier ground out and stole third. Damon Haecker picked up the RBI with a sacrifice fly to center. Blake Austin led off the sixth with a double down the left field line and scored three batters later on a Logan single. Ebert and Grier singled and doubled in the seventh, placing runners at second and third with no outs. Ebert scored on a Tomscha single to right, and Austin was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. Ryan Tella hit into a fielder's choice and Dan Glevenyak singled to left to bring in two more runs and make it 9-0.
Mercer (12-3) got back into the game with three runs on four hits and an error in the top of the eighth, but the Bears left the bases loaded. Third baseman Chesny Young hit a one-out two-run homer to left in the top of the ninth to finish the scoring.
Dillon Ortman (3-1) bounced back from a bad start against Presbyterian to pick up the win. Ortman allowed three runs -- two earned -- on six hits and two walks in 7 2/3 innings, and he struck out six. Trey Wingenter came on and gave up a single to the only batter he faced, and Daniel Koger pitched the final 1 1/3 innings.
Grant Papelian (1-1) took the loss for the Bears, giving up six runs, seven hits and a walk while striking out one in 5 2/3 innings.
Game 2 between Mercer and Auburn is scheduled for a 3 p.m. CT first pitch Saturday. Thompson is set to take the mound for the Tigers.
Mercer 5 (12-3) |
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| Player | ab | r | h | rbi | bb | so | po | a | lob | |
| LAGARDE, Sasha cf | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | |
| LEWIS, Kyle ph/cf | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| YOUNG, Chesny 3b | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| BACKLUND, Nick 1b | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 0 | |
| LOWE, Nathaniel ph/1b | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| BARRETT, Austin c | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| MADDEN, Charlie ph/c | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| MASSI, Michael ss | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| MEEDER, Matt ph/ss | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| BONIN, Devin 2b | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | |
| WORKMAN, Derrick rf | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| EDGEWORTH, Danny dh | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| JOE, Howard ph | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| MOORHOUSE, Nate lf | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| PAPELIAN, Grant p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| WADE, Mitchell p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| LORD, Austin p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| WESOLOWSKI, Cam p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | 36 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 24 | 14 | 8 | |
Auburn 9 (6-6) |
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| Player | ab | r | h | rbi | bb | so | po | a | lob | |
| Anfernee Grier rf | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Damon Haecker ss/2b | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
| Damek Tomscha 1b | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
| Blake Austin 3b | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| Connor Short pr/3b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ryan Tella cf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
| J.J. Shaffer cf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Dan Glevenyak 2b | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Brett Binning pr/ss | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Blake Logan c | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 2 | |
| Keegan Thompson dh | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Daniel Robert ph | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Jordan Ebert lf | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Jackson Burgreen ph/lf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Dillon Ortman p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Trey Wingenter p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Daniel Koger p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | 30 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 27 | 7 | 4 | |
Score by Innings R H E ------------------------------------------- Mercer.............. 000 000 032 - 5 8 0 Auburn.............. 130 011 30X - 9 12 2 ------------------------------------------- |
| E - Austin, B.(1); Binning, B.(1). DP - MER 1; Auburn 1. LOB - MER 8; Auburn 4. 2B - YOUNG(3); MOORHOUSE(1); Grier, A.(4); Austin, B.(2). 3B - Ebert, J.(1). HR - YOUNG(1); Tomscha, D.(2). HBP - Austin, B.. SH - Grier, A. 2(4); Tella, R.(3). SF - Haecker, D.(1). SB - Ebert, J.(2); Burgreen, J.(1). CS - BARRETT(2); Burgreen, J.(1). |
| Mercer | ip | h | r | er | bb | so | wp | bk | hbp | ibb | ab | bf | fo | go | np |
| PAPELIAN, Grant L,1-1 | 5.2 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 24 | 4 | 11 | 86 |
| WADE, Mitchell | 0.2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 22 |
| LORD, Austin | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| WESOLOWSKI, Cam | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Auburn | ip | h | r | er | bb | so | wp | bk | hbp | ibb | ab | bf | fo | go | np |
| Dillon Ortman W,3-1 | 7.2 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 31 | 11 | 5 | 108 |
| Trey Wingenter | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Daniel Koger | 1.1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 28 |
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Win - Ortman, D. (3-1). Loss - PAPELIAN (1-1). Save - None. HBP - by WADE (Austin, B.). Pitches/strikes: PAPELIAN 86/55; WADE 22/14; LORD 14/9; WESOLOWSKI 9/4; Ortman, D. 108/70; Wingenter 7/4; Koger, D. 28/15.
Umpires - HP: Randy Watkins 1B: Craig Murr 3B: Craig Barron |