GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Mercer scored runs in the first six innings and took advantage of three Furman errors to cruise to an 11-2 victory in Southern Conference Baseball Tournament first round action Wednesday afternoon at Fluor Field.

The defeat drops Furman (25-30) into the loser's bracket and a Thursday, 9:00 a.m. clash against Western Carolina, which lost a 5-4, 10-inning verdict to top-seed Samford on Wednesday.

After Furman grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a Trent Alley RBI double, the Bears (30-26), the tournament's No. 4 seed, tied it in their first turn at the plate, grabbed the lead with a run in the second, and took control of the contest with a five-run third, highlighted by a grand slam by left-fielder Bill Knight to go up, 7-1.

Mercer's big third inning, which featured just two hits, was fueled by three Furman fielding errors that contributed to all five runs being unearned.  Knight's bases loaded clout, his fourth of the season, cleared the left center field wall.

The Bears tacked on single runs in the fourth, fifth, and finished off their scoring spree in the sixth with an Alex Crotty two-run home run.

The strong support made an easy winner of Mercer starting pitcher Sawyer Gipson-Long (7-3), who allowed two runs on seven hits over six innings.  He did not walk a batter and struck out eight.

Taking the loss was John Michael Bertrand (4-6), who lasted just 2 2/3 innings and was tagged for five hits and seven runs, though only two were earned.

Mercer finished with 11 hits, led by Knight, who added an RBI double to his grand slam for a 2-for-3, five-RBI performance.

Alley paced Furman's nine-hit attack with a 3-for-4 performance, and Bret Huebner had two hits, including a double.

Paladin pitchers matched a season high with nine walks.