Mercer pulls off shocker, stuns top-ranked Florida in Gainesville
From staff reports
A four-run first inning was certainly no surprise for Florida, entertaining Mercer in non-conference baseball Tuesday.
The next eight innings sure opened some eyes.
Mercer scored three in the third, and then got single runs in the fourth and eighth to make a superb pitching performance hold up in stunning Florida 6-4 in Gainesville, Fla.
The Bears’ Robert Broom struck out 12 in six innings out of the bullpen.
Florida (34-8) was ranked either first or second in the five major polls and the NCAA’s RPI.
“"This was an outstanding win for our program and hopefully it is one we can use to gain some momentum heading into the final handful of regular season games ahead of us," Mercer head coach Craig Gibson said in a release. "If this game can't spark you, I don't know what can.
It’s the second time Mercer (29-14) has knocked off the defending national champs when the Gators have been atop the rankings. Florida was No. 1 in 2006 and No. 8 in 2014 when the Bears pulled off the upsets.
Florida’s lead in the series dropped to 30-29.
Head coach Craig Gibson is now two wins from 500 (498-345).
Mercer, which hosts VMI this weekend, scored on a bases-loaded walk in the top of the first, and Florida got a 2-run homer from Wil Dalton to key the 4-run bottom half.
The Bears tied it with 3 in the third, getting going with a leadoff homer from RJ Yeager, followed up by Le Bassett’s two-run double.
Yeager’s safety squeeze bunt brought in Kyle Dockus with the go-ahead run in the fourth. Sean McDermott’s RBI double added an insurance run in the eighth.
Thanks to Broom, who followed starter Zach Graveno and reliever Sawyer Gipson-Long, no insurance was necessary.
They went to one of their best relievers - he's got great numbers - and he pitched great,” Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “He was the difference in the ballgame with 12 strikeouts in six innings.”
Broom struck out four straight at one point, and got out of a mini-jam in the seventh and solid one in the eighth.
He retired the side in order only twice, including the ninth, when he needed only 14 pitches.
“You have to be great to win in this kind of game and Broom certainly was,” Gibson said. “I don't think we could have taken him out of the game tonight."
Note: Information and quotes from Florida and Mercer releases were used in this story.