BOX SCORE (PDF)

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Samford second baseman Brooks Carlson hit a two-run walk-off home run to left field in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Samford baseball team to a 10-8 win over Mercer in the first round of the Southern Conference Tournament Thursday night at Fluor Field. 
 
With the win, Samford advances to take on Western Carolina Friday evening at 6 p.m. (CT) at Fluor Field. Mercer will face Wofford in an elimination game Friday at 2:30 p.m. (CT).
 
"Brooks is the best hitter in this league," Samford head coach Casey Dunn said. "It's a shame he got off to a bad start and didn't really get the recognition he deserves for the type of hitter he is and the type of conference player that he's been. Obviously, he had unbelievable swings tonight. Not just the last home run, he had several good swings in the game."
 
THE BASICS
FINAL: Samford 10 | Mercer 8
Date/Time: Thur., May 27 | Start 8:30 p.m. | TOG: 3:48
Location: Greenville, S.C. (Fluor Field)
Records: Samford (33-22) | Mercer (35-21)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Mercer took the lead first with one run in the top of the third inning. Bill Knight singled up the middle to drive in Angelo DiSpigna for a 1-0 Mercer lead.
• Samford's Towns King hit a towering, 446-foot home run off of the scoreboard in right field to knot the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning.
• Mercer took the lead again with two runs in the top of the fifth inning. Trevor Austin singled up the middle to drive in Colby Thomas to make the score 2-1. Knight then singled to center field to drive in Austin for a 3-1 Mercer lead.
• Samford's Max Pinto hit a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the fifth inning to cut the Mercer lead to 3-2.
• Mercer added to its lead when Le Bassett walked with the bases loaded to bring in Garett Delano for a 4-2 Bear lead.
• Samford took the lead with four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning at 6-4. Sonny DiChiara walked with the bases loaded for the first run of the inning. Tyler McManus then tripled to center field to drive in DiChiara, Pinto and Taylor Garris for a two-run Samford lead.
• The lead was short-lived as Mercer came back with three runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a 7-6 lead. Delano doubled to drive in the first two runs of the inning. Delano later scored when Thomas grounded into a double play to give the Bears the lead.
• In the top of the eighth inning, Mercer's Antonio Brown scored on a passed ball to push the Bears' lead to 8-6.
• Samford tied the game in the bottom of the eighth inning when King singled to center field to drive in Carson Allison and Carlson to knot the score at 8-8.
• Mercer loaded the bases in the top of the ninth inning, but Samford's Chase Isbell struck out Jackson Cherry to end the threat.
• With one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, Pinto reached on an infield single. Carlson then homered to left field to end the game in a walk-off, 10-8 victory.

 
ON THE MOUND

• Isbell (4-2) pitched an inning of hitless relief to earn the win for Samford.
• Samuel Strickland, Blake Bortak, Jalon Long, Carson Cupo, Gene Hurst and Charles Crosby also pitched in the game for Samford.
• Tommy Green (4-4) took the loss for Mercer, tossing 1.1 innings, giving up three runs on four hits.

 
NOTABLES 

• Carlson went 4-for-6 with a double, a home run and two RBI to lead Samford at the plate.
• King went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI.
• Pinto went 3-for-6 with a home run and one RBI.
• For Mercer, Knight and Delano each went 2-for-4 with two RBI.

 
NEXT UP 
Samford will take on Western Carolina Friday at 6 p.m. (CT) in the second round of the SoCon Tournament at Fluor Field.
 
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