Baylor Baseball Drops 7-4 Ballgame to Mercer

Sat Mar 11 17:47:48 CST 2023

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – March 11, 2023

Baylor Baseball Drops 7-4 Ballgame to Mercer
Ceccoli hits second HR in as many days, Golomb throws three scoreless frames in loss
For more information contact: Max Calderone, 254-265-1639, Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu<mailto:Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu>

WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball (5-10) dropped a 7-4 contest to Mercer (11-5) on Saturday afternoon at Baylor Ballpark in Waco.

Sophomore 1B John Ceccoli hit his second home run in as many days and racked up three hits, while junior RHP Grant Golomb threw three scoreless innings and struck out five in the loss.

Mercer made use of a four-run top of the first and never looked back, stiff-arming BU for just one run in four separate frames.

THE RUNDOWN
MU jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the top of the first, scoring all four runs with two outs after Baylor starter Mason Marriott retired the first two batters on just five pitches.

Baylor got one back in the bottom half, as freshman INF Kolby Branch walked and came around to later score on a Hunter Simmons RBI fielder’s choice.

A two-run homer for Mercer in the top of the third made it 6-1, though BU would plate the game’s next run in the bottom of the fourth inning thanks to junior INF Will Pendergrass’ RBI double, one of his two doubles on the day.

MU once again benefitted from the long ball with a solo shot in the top of the sixth to increase its lead to 7-2. Then, Baylor tallied single runs in the seventh and eighth thanks to an RBI double from junior LHP/OF Kobe Andrade and a solo shot off the bat of Ceccoli.

HIGHLIGHTS
• BU is now 5-2 all-time against teams from the SoCon.
• Baylor is now 13-17 all-time against opponents with a Bear mascot.
• Freshman INF Kolby Branch extended his on-base streak to 15 games.
• Junior INF Will Pendergrass tallied two doubles to extend his on-base streak to six games.
• Sophomore 1B John Ceccoli launched his second home run of the series and third of the season.
• Ceccoli also recorded his second multi-hit game of the year with three.
• Junior RHP Grant Golomb notched his third-consecutive scoreless outing of relief.
• Golomb also tied his career high with five strikeouts.

STAT OF THE GAME
.310  – With a career-high three hits, sophomore 1B John Ceccoli increased his batting average to .310 for the season.

QUOTABLE
Head Coach Mitch Thompson
On five scoreless innings from the bullpen…
"I thought Ethan Calder and Grant [Golomb] did a fantastic job keeping us in the game and gave us the opportunity to swing the bats and come back. They did exactly what their job was, and it was fantastic, so I was proud of them. Today was a good day to hit, and they threw the ball really well. Six innings and giving up only three hits is a pretty nice job.”

On the frustration of giving up runs with two outs…
“It’s frustrating for everyone and it’s frustrating to the guys. I think they’re pressing and getting in their head. They’re worried about making a mistake, and you can’t compete when you’re doing that. You’ve got to put it all out on the line, go get people and attack.”

WHAT’S NEXT
Baylor (5-10) looks to salvage its series with Mercer (11-5) on Sunday, March 12, with a 1 p.m. first pitch at Baylor Ballpark in Waco.
To stay up to date on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorBaseball.

-BaylorBears.com-

__________________________________

Max Calderone | Associate Director of Athletics Communications (BSB, FB, EQ)
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 254-265-1639

[signature_3866924106]<http://baylorbears.com/>

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