Mercer 13, Jacksonville State 6
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer University softball team captured the 2015 Mercer Invitational Tournament Championship upending top seeded Jacksonville State. A Mercer fourth inning, seven run surge helped lift the Bears past JSU, 13-6.
Mercer jumped out to a first inning lead, scoring two runs off a pair of Mercer RBI before adding another pair of runs on a bases loaded walk and a Caroline Taylor RBI. JSU would battle back in the bottom of the second, adding five runs to take a 5-4 lead heading into the third where they added another score off of a Mercer error.
The bats came alive for the Bears in the fourth adding seven runs on five hits and a JSU error. A Natalie Shiver three-run blast gave Mercer the momentum it needed to add four additional runs in the inning to give the Bears an 11-6 lead. Emma Andrew added a RBI single in the fifth, scoring Kaylynn Sloat.
Mercer added a run in the seventh on a JSU throwing error to push their lead to 7. Riley Carter provided a dominating performance in the circle, allowing JSU two hits through five innings. She retired the side in the bottom of the seventh as JSU batters popped up to second, flew out to left field, and struck out looking.
Mercer moved to 4-1 on the season and will travel to Auburn, Ala. to take part in the Auburn Tiger Invitational. The Bears next game will be on Thursday, Feb. 12 against the host Auburn University at 4:00 p.m.
Marshall 8, UNCG 0 (6 inn.)
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The UNCG softball team ended its first weekend of play with an 8-0, six-inning loss to Marshall Sunday morning at the College of Charleston Softball Stadium. The Spartans fall to 2-3 overall while the Herd improves to 5-0.
Senior infielder Dominique Madruga and senior outfielder Tatiana Alcala recorded a hit apiece to lead the offense. Alcala’s hit was a triple, her first of the season.
Junior RHP Nicole Thomas (2-3) took the loss and recorded every decision for UNCG over the weekend. She threw four innings and allowed two runs on six hits, striking out four as well. Freshman RHP Mackenzie Winslow went the rest of the way, allowing six runs on nine hits.
UNCG put together a two-out threat in the top of the first as Nicole Thomas drew a walk and moved to second on a passed ball. However, Vega struck out swinging to end the half inning. Marshall struck first in the bottom of the inning, using a pair of singles to put runners on the corners with no outs. A dribbler on the infield that resulted in a fielder’s choice allowed the run to score, but that would be it for the Herd as Thomas produced a strikeout to escape further damage.
Marshall extended its advantage to 2-0 in the bottom of the second, receiving a one-out home run to left from Katalin Lucas. The Herd would load the bases later, but a 1-2-3 double play turned by the Spartans shut the threat down. The Blue and Gold had great chances to score in the top of the third and fourth innings as Marshall outfielders committed a two-base error to leadoff both frames, but UNCG could not capitalize.
The Herd broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth, scoring four runs on six hits and a Spartan error to take a 6-0 advantage. Marshall then added two more in the sixth inning to complete the shutout.
UNCG will open its home schedule next weekend, hosting George Washington in a three-game series at the UNCG Softball Stadium. The teams will begin the set with a doubleheader Saturday, Feb. 14 at 1 p.m.
Butler 8, Samford 0 (6 inn.)
ROSEMONT, Ill. - The Samford University softball team was unable to muster a third-straight comeback when the team dropped an 8-0 decision to Butler University on Sunday, Feb. 8, at The Dome at Rosemont in the Total Control Sports Invitational.
Samford (4-1) fell behind early for the first time during the 2015 season when Butler (2-2) posted two runs in the first inning of play. Senior Shelby Scott struck out the first BU batter before she gave up a single and issued a walk.
Scott (0-1) worked Butler's Norwood deep into the count and forced a pop up to sophomore Abbie Miranda at second for the second out of the frame. The Butler base runners advanced to second and third on a stolen base which set up the initial score on a wild pitch from Scott. Butler scored its' second run of the inning via an RBI single by Boros.
Bulter put the game seeming out of reach in the bottom of the third inning when the Bulldogs plated five runs on four hits to extend its' lead out to 7-0 over the Bulldogs from Birmingham.
BU ended the game in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single to left field to make the score 8-0.
Samford's most consistent batter of the game was freshman Shelby Maze who went 2 for 3 at the plate. SU's explosive offense combined for a lackluster 6 of 23 (.260) from the plate with one walk and five strikeouts.
SU returns to action for a midweek affair against the University of Alabama on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 6 p.m. at the Samford Softball Field.
Auburn 12, Chattanooga 1 (5 inn.)
AUBURN, Ala. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team showed some fight, but fell 12-1, against top 25 Auburn on Sunday afternoon.
The Tigers were the designated home team for the tournament matchup, so the Mocs (4-1) batted first.
Sam Taylor singled to second in the opening inning but the Auburn’s defense would force three UTC consecutive outs off a strike and two caught hits.
The big inning for the Tigers came in the fourth inning when they score five runs. Auburn got three RBI singles and a RBI double off of a UTC field error.
For Chattanooga, J.J. Hamill would be the only Moc to put UTC on the board as she homered a run to left field at the top of the fifth inning.
Defensively, Taylor Deason received the start and pitched 3.1 innings, allowing five earned runs. Cori Jennings followed in, pitching 0.1 innings and Kailey Palazzolo closed out the game at 0.2 innings.
The Mocs will return to the field this coming weekend in the National Training Center Invitational in Clermont, Fla.
Campbell 10, ETSU 0 (5 inn.)
Campbell 5, ETSU 4
BUIES CREEK, N.C. - Deadlocked at 2-2 after six innings of play, the ETSU softball team used a two-run seventh inning, highlighted by aMykeah Johnson go-ahead home run, to take a 4-2 lead over Campbell; however, the hometown Fighting Camels responded with some dramatics of their own.
Sophomore Taylor Carter forced Campbell's first two batters of the final frame to ground out, leaving the Fighting Camels (2-1) with one final out.
Following a pinch-hit single by Campbell's Tori Griffin, the Buccaneers (0-4) committed a fielding error on an infield fly by Camise Patterson that proved to be fatal. With runners on second and third, senior infielder Maggie Christopher stepped to the plate. Then, on the first pitch she saw, Christopher belted a three-run, walk-off home run to left field, giving Campbell the 5-4 victory.
The deflating sequence spoiled an otherwise solid outing for the Bucs, who pieced together multi-run frames for the first time this season, scoring twice in both the second and seventh innings.
Carter and starting pitcher Lindsey Fadnek combined to toss six-and-two-third quality innings. In her second career start for the Bucs, Fadnek fanned four Fighting Camels in five innings of work.
Johnson and redshirt senior Nicole Fox, both Georgia natives, each finished the game with one RBI. Following Johnson's solo shot in the seventh, Carter doubled to center field before being driven in by Fox on a single to third base.
Earlier in the day, Campbell defeated ETSU, 10-0, in five innings, with Katie Baker limiting the Bucs to four hits while striking out seven batters.
Carter and Jennine Duncan each recorded one hit in both games.
Through ETSU's first four contests, Duncan is leading the Bucs with five hits. She is also 4-for-4 on stolen base attempts.
ETSU will have a chance to quickly shrug off the winless weekend, as the Bucs visit Gardner-Webb Tuesday, Feb. 10 for a non-conference double-header, with games beginning at 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.