MACON, Ga. (Interstat) — A parade of Mercer pitchers combined to stifle Florida A&M’s offense Wednesday evening, leading the Bears to a 5-1 victory over the Rattlers at OrthoGeorgia Park.

The win improved Mercer’s record to 8-1, while Florida A&M fell to 1-7.

The game’s decisive moment came in the bottom of the fourth inning. Holding a 3-1 lead, Mercer capitalized on Florida A&M mistakes to break the game open. After walks to Treyson Katz and Jackson Baughcum and a strikeout, a third walk to Ty Kamaka loaded the bases. Garrett Huffman then delivered a crucial single. Katz scored easily, but a throwing error by Rattlers pitcher Caden Kresak allowed Baughcum to score from second and Kamaka to advance to third, pushing the Mercer lead to 5-1. The two unearned runs provided a comfortable cushion the Bears’ bullpen would not relinquish.

Mercer’s pitching staff was the story, using nine pitchers to hold the Rattlers to just four hits while striking out 18 batters. Starter Braydon Kersey worked one inning before a planned bullpen game took over. Jackson Gaspard, Reid Fagerstrom, Andrew Garnett and Collin Ewaldsen each threw scoreless outings, with Garnett and Kersey each striking out the side in their respective innings. The collective effort continuously extinguished any potential Florida A&M rallies.

Florida A&M’s lone run scored without a hit in the fifth inning. Yadiel Perez walked, advanced to second on a groundout and to third on a flyout. After a single by Jalen Brown, Mercer made a pitching change, and during reliever Jackson Alvey’s first batter, a passed ball allowed Perez to cross the plate.

The Rattlers’ pitching had bright spots despite the loss. Clark Lincoln was exceptional in relief, throwing 3 1/3 hitless innings with three strikeouts after entering in the fourth. Caden Kresak and JD Garner also contributed scoreless appearances. However, the early control issues proved costly. Starter Jay Campbell, who took the loss, walked four batters in the first inning, including a bases-loaded walk to Huffman that tied the game 1-1. Mercer took the lead for good in the second on a sacrifice fly by Katz.

Mercer managed only three hits but leveraged 11 walks and three hit batters to create constant traffic on the bases. Huffman drove in two runs, one via walk and one on his key fourth-inning single.

The game was the second of a midweek series, with Mercer having won the opener 7-0 on Tuesday. The Bears continue their homestand with a three-game series against Penn beginning Friday. Florida A&M returns home to host Central Connecticut for a three-game set starting Saturday.