MACON, Ga. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) baseball team fell 3-0 on Friday night to the Mercer Bears in the first game of a three-game weekend series in The Southern Conference (SoCon) action at OrthoGeorgia Park.

Friday night's ball game was a pitcher's duel in Macon. No runs crossed the plate until the fifth inning while both sides only combined for 10 hits and struck out 16 times. Sam Murchison and Danny Thompson Jr. held it down for the Spartans, combining to strikeout the Bears nine times despite falling in the contest.

Mercer tallied the game's first run in the bottom of the fifth inning when Ely Brown drew a one-out walk before Brant Baughcum doubled down the left-field line to make it 1-0.

The sixth inning saw Mercer's Parker Lester hit a solo home run to right with two outs, which made it 2-0.

The Bears' extended their lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the eighth inning when Lester singled to left to score Drew Johnson.

Mercer's Braydon Kersey returned to the mound for a second inning of relief work in the ninth and successfully slammed the door with a 1-2-3 inning to secure the 3-0 victory for Mercer and his first save of the season.

PITCHING RECORDS:
Colton Cosper: W, 6-1
Sam Murchison: L, 5-4
Braydon Kersey: Save, 1

NOTES:

• Murchison's line: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB & 6 K
• Thompson Jr.'s line: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB & 3 K
• Jacob Dilley, Parker Wight, Branton Jernigan and Jack Pokorak each had one hit.
• Jeremy Wolf drew a walk and Luke Holland was hit by a pitch.
• UNCG left six runners on while Mercer had seven stranded.
• The Spartans' pitching staff led in punchouts, 9-7.

RECORDS:
UNCG: 18-22, 7-3 SoCon
MER: 27-17, 7-6 SoCon

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The Spartans will take on the Bears in game two of the series on Saturday starting at 2:00 p.m. back at OrthoGeorgia Park in Macon.