The Citadel
33-24
Mercer
43-14
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Citadel | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 1 |
| Mercer | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 3 |
Brown, Gibson Silence Mercer Bats, Guide Bulldogs to SoCon Semis, 9-2
5/21/2026 1:33:00 PM | Baseball
In addition to his contributions on the mound, Gibson led the offense with three hits, including two doubles, for two RBIs and a pair of runs scored, marking the senior's third consecutive game with at least three hits and two plate crossings. Zach Hunt hit his team-leading 10th home run to drive in a pair, and now serves as the first Bulldog since Ryan McCarthy (11) to reach double-digit home runs in a season.
Additionally, Phillips Daniels contributed a hit and two RBIs. Jayden Williams reached a milestone of 50 hits for the season, adding one more in the game for an RBI. TJ Anderson continued his streak by recording two or more hits for the third straight game. As a unit, The Citadel has now recorded double-digit hits in all three games of the SoCon Baseball Championship.
Trip Brown delivered a competitive outing for the Bulldogs in his sixth start of the campaign, pitching 6.0 shutout innings while striking out seven batters and allowing just five hits. CJ Van Slooten threw 0.2 innings of relief, giving up one hit and striking out two batters before Gibson took over for the final 2.1 frames, surrendering two earned runs on four hits with one strikeout to earn his league-best ninth save of the season.
For Mercer, Titan Kamaka and Chris Katz both hit home runs. Garrett Lambert took the loss after throwing 5.2 innings, allowing five hits and one earned run while striking out 10 batters. Offensively, Mercer concluded the regular season leading the Southern Conference in multiple categories, including team batting average (.320), hits (612), doubles (122), home runs (124), runs (518), on-base percentage (.439), slugging percentage (.586) and scoring average (9.3 runs per game). Against Brown and the pitching staff, though, the Bears fell over seven runs short of their season average and only managed three extra-base hits.
"Trip Brown was big time for us. We got off to a shaky start, and a couple of guys got on base with a hit and a walk. He worked out of it. He struggled a little early in the game, but he made some big pitches with runners on base. Then he settled in and was special today," said head coach Russell Triplett. "Michael [Gibson] keeps stepping up and getting big hits for us. As soon as we put him at the plate, he seems to deliver a big hit. He's been big for us the whole tournament. He's producing, but he's also stepping up in big moments."
Up next, the Bulldogs receive a well-deserved hiatus as the they await the winner of No. 1 Mercer vs. No. 4 Wofford in the semifinals, set for Friday, May 22 at 9 a.m. at Fluor Field.
Gibby is that dude!
— The Citadel Baseball (@CitadelBaseball) May 21, 2026
RBI double to get the Bulldogs on the board!
T3 | CIT 1, MER 0 #jOURney pic.twitter.com/KaKVoh7LI3
6️⃣-4️⃣-3️⃣!
— The Citadel Baseball (@CitadelBaseball) May 21, 2026
E3 | CIT 1, MER 0 #jOURney pic.twitter.com/hqvALQdXpn
LETS GOOOOO TRIP!!! FIRE US UP!!!
— The Citadel Baseball (@CitadelBaseball) May 21, 2026
E6 | CIT 1, MER 0 #jOURney pic.twitter.com/Mcg9KCVXIN
Making plays on the field! What can't he do! #jOURney pic.twitter.com/BunqIJl2el
— The Citadel Baseball (@CitadelBaseball) May 21, 2026
HE'S HIMMMM!!!
— The Citadel Baseball (@CitadelBaseball) May 21, 2026
E8 | CIT 2, MER 0#jOURney pic.twitter.com/P4AkF3srUP
Have a day, 2️⃣2️⃣!
— The Citadel Baseball (@CitadelBaseball) May 21, 2026
RBI double for Gibby!#jOURney pic.twitter.com/cSSRQhs1Fp
SEE YA ⚾️!
— The Citadel Baseball (@CitadelBaseball) May 21, 2026
The two-run home run from Zach Hunt extends the Bulldogs' lead to 7-0! #jOURney pic.twitter.com/wP7cHcdSh9
Players Mentioned
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Brown, Trip (3-3)
L: Lambert, Garrett (5-1)
S: Gibson, Michael (9)
Batting:
2B: Anderson, TJ 1 ; Gibson, Michael 2
HR: Hunt, Zach 1
RBI: Daniels, Phillips 2 ; Gibson, Michael 2 ; Hunt, Zach 2 ; Williams, Jayden 1
SH: Patel, Aryan 1 ; Dansky, Sam 1 ; Stratis, Christian 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Patel, Aryan 1 ; Daniels, Phillips 1 ; Lively, Matthew 1 ; Anderson, TJ 1 ; Dansky, Sam 1 ; Gibson, Michael 2 ; Hunt, Zach 1 ; Williams, Jayden 1
SB: Patel, Aryan 1 ; Dansky, Sam 1 ; Gibson, Michael 1
HBP: Patel, Aryan 1 ; Daniels, Phillips 1 ; Dansky, Sam 1
Batting:
2B: Kersey, Braydon 1
HR: Kamaka, Titan 1 ; Katz, Chris 1
RBI: Kamaka, Titan 1 ; Katz, Chris 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kamaka, Titan 1 ; Katz, Chris 1
HBP: Katz, Chris 1
