Mercer 11, Youngstown State 0 (5 inn.)
Mercer 6, Michigan State 0
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer University softball team carried their momentum from the opening day of the Mercer Bears Classic into day two, defeating Youngstown State 11-0 in the first game of the day and Michigan State 6-0 to close out the day. The Bears have been on a hot streak at the plate so far this weekend outscoring their opponents 31-5.
The Bears were able to jump out to an early lead in the first inning pushing across three runs on two hits and an error. Taylor Miller opened the scoring, advancing home on a throwing error by the Spartans catcher. Miller was followed by a RBI single from Rachael Hugghins and a sac-fly from Natalie Shiver to close the inning.
Mercer went back to work in the second scoring four runs on five hits. With two outs Riley Carter had an RBI single up the middle to get things started. Caroline Taylor cleared the bases on a three run shot to cap the inning, pushing the lead to seven. Miller had a two RBI triple, adding two runs to open the third inning. Meghan Rud's sac-fly scored Miller making the score 10-0 heading into the fourth.
Pinch hitter, Kaytlin Haney would drive in the last run of the game on an RBI single to center field providing the final score of 11-0. Megan Bilgri picked up her first win as a Bear, throwing her first complete game. The freshman threw five innings allowing only one hit and one base on balls with three strikeouts.
Mercer continued to have a hot bat against the Spartans scoring one run in the first inning on three hits. Carter doubled to center field scoring Rud to put the Bears up 1-0. Both teams would go scoreless through four innings until Mercer broke the silence in a big way in the bottom of the fifth.
Quirisa Mauga recorded her first home run of her Mercer career with a two run blast to center field. Emma Andrew would follow Mauga's shot with one of her own with a bomb to left center field giving Mercer a 4-0 lead heading to the sixth.
Shiver added the third home run of the game for the Bears with a deep shot to left field. With the bases loaded Miller added an RBI single through the left side to score R. Hugghins, providing the final score of 6-0.
Kirsten Stevens picked up her thirteenth win of the season in her thirteenth complete game. Stevens allowed only two hits through six innings, while recording three strikeouts and did not sacrifice a base on balls. The game would mark Stevens second shutout of the season for the Bears.
Mercer will be back in action tomorrow for day three of the Mercer Bears Classic. The Bears will face Alabama A&M at 12:15 PM. Looking ahead, the Bears will stay at home next week, with double headers against Alabama State on Tuesday, March 17th and Savannah State on Saturday, March 21st.
Samford 10, Jacksonville 2
Samford 3, Jacksonville 2
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Samford University softball team used timely hitting and outstanding defensive play to defeat Jacksonville University 10-2 and 3-2 in the first two games of a three-game series.
The Bulldogs (17-8) opened up the series with a strong offensive showing against the Dolphins. The bats came alive in the top of the fifth when Samford plated seven runs on Jacksonville ace Victoria Brown (10-8).
Redshirt junior Mollie Hanson (8-4) received the call to throw from the circle for the Bulldogs and didn't give the Dolphins much to work with as she struck out eight batters with allowed one run in five innings of work.
Jacksonville plated one run in the bottom of the sixth to close down the Samford lead to 7-2 but the Bulldogs extended the lead back out to eight after the team posted three runs in the top of the seventh to put the game away.
Sophomore Rebecca Leonard closed out the game for Samford and only allowed one hit in two innings of relief.
The Bulldogs scored 10 runs on 11 hits and three Dolphin errors en route to the first victory. Junior Megan Dowdy tallied the most hits going 3 for 5 with an RBI and two runs scored while eight other Bulldogs scored one run each. Sophomore Abbie Miranda and freshman Lexie Higgins both notched two RBI performances.
It was all about defense in the final game of the day and senior Abby Adams made two critical plays that kept Jacksonville from tying the game or taking the lead in the close 3-2 affair.
Adams made a spectacular diving catch in the air to her right side at shortstop on a hard hit line drive that was sure to give Jacksonville momentum when they trailed 2-0 to Samford in the bottom of the fourth.
The Hobart, Ind. native then made intelligent play in the fifth, as Samford clung to a 3-1 lead, when the Dolphins hit a chopper over Hanson's head with runners on second and third with two outs.
Adams made a diving stab and threw out the second runner trying to score at home for the final out of the inning. Adams made the split-second decision of throwing home when she knew that she wasn't going to throw out the left-handed slapper running down the line to first.
The Bulldogs plated two of its' three runs in the top of the fourth thanks to a pair of RBI singles from Miranda and freshman Shelby Maze. The final run for Samford came in the top of the fifth when Abby Adams sent out a sacrifice fly out to left field that scored Caitlin Bice from third.
Grey Adams (6-1) tossed three and two thirds shutout innnings to pick up her sixth win of the season while she struck out two with zero walks. Hanson cleaned up the game to pick up her second save of the year and picked up three more strikeouts to bring her daily total to 11.
The Bulldogs will face the Dolphins for the final game of the series on Sunday, March 15, at noon with a chance to claim the weekend sweep.
Furman 7, New Mexico 5
Marist 5, Furman 2
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Marist plated four first-inning runs and Jayne Oberdorf allowed just one earned run in a complete game effort to lift Marist to a 5-2 victory over Furman on Saturday night at the CofC Softball Invitational at College of Charleston's Patriots Point Athletics Complex.
The Red Foxes (5-8) got on the board with Samantha Reilly's two-out, RBI double down the left field line in the first inning and added three more runs when Janine Lalli singled to right field with two runners on base and came all the way around to score on a Furman fielding error.
Oberdorf stranded eight Furman runners and allowed just one earned run on seven hits over seven innings to improve to 3-2 in the circle. She walked two Paladins and struck out four.
Furman's Alex Sappington suffered the loss after allowing four runs on five hits in just one and 1/3 innings in the circle. She issued two walks and did not record a strikeout before being replaced by Lindsey Bert in the top of the third. Bert got out of a bases loaded jam after entering the game and held the Red Foxes to just one run on four hits over five and 2/3 innings of relief.
The Paladins scored single runs in the second on Courtney Jacobs RBI ground out and in the sixth on a wild pitch, but Furman stranded at least one runner in each frame. Senior Ambree Muller went 2-for-4 with two doubles for Furman, while freshman Brittany Houston finished 2-for-3.
Janna Korak, Kourtney Paul and Kyrsten Van Natta each collected two hits apiece for Marist. Lalli went 1-for-2 with two walks and two RBI.
The Paladins (13-7) will look to rebound on Sunday when they cap CofC Invitational play by taking on Memphis at 11 a.m. and College of Charleston at 3:30 p.m.
Syracuse 4, Chattanooga 2
Chattanooga 6, Army 0
CLEARWATER, Fla. – The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team ended the day on a high note as the Mocs defeated the Black Knights, 6-0 after falling to Syracuse, 2-4 on Saturday at the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater, Fla. Junior Criket Blanco led the Mocs with four hits in the doubleheader while Taylor Deason fired a three-hit shutout against Army.
The Orange opened the game with a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Syracuse’s Maddi Doane, who singled down the third base line, advanced to second off a rushed throw from Sarah Beth Roberts. Julie Wambold would run Doane home as she followed up with a double to left field.
Chattanooga threatened in the second as Anyssa Robles blasted a standing double to left center. The catcher rounded out to third off an illegal pitch from ‘Cuse’s Jocelyn Cater. Kailey Palazzolo followed in off a walk, setting Mocs on the corners with only one down. However, Cater stopped the Mocs’ offensive production with consecutive strikeouts to end the inning.
After both teams were unsuccessful in the third inning, UTC took a 2-1 lead as the Mocs grabbed two runs with a bases loaded two-out walk and a passed ball in the fourth.
Criket Blanco was the first hit for the Mocs in the inning, with a single to right field, advancing senior Nicole Osterman, who reached on a walk, to second base. With one out, Palazzolo was the fourth Moc up in the inning, loading the bases off a walk.
Orange Pitcher, Cater would claim the second Chattanooga out with a strikeout before Marina Wilkerson reached on the innings third walk to bring in Osterman for the run. Bases still loaded, Blanco put in quick work to gain UTC’s second run off a passed ball, setting the score, 2-1.
Syracuse responded in the bottom of the inning, scoring three to reclaim the lead at 4-2. The Mocs threatened with the bases loaded in the fifth, a runner on second in the sixth and runners on first and second in the seventh but it wasn’t enough to push past Cater, who solidified the 4-2 victory for Syracuse.
The Mocs jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Sarah Beth Roberts blasted a home run past left field after J.J. Hamill reached on an Army error.
Both teams would stay off the scoreboards over the next four innings before Chattanooga collected four hits, to include back-to-back doubles, in that frame to pull out to a 6-0 lead.
Anyssa Robles led off the sixth inning with a walk. Pinching running for Robles, Courtney Ervin advanced to second off a SAC hit from Kailey Palazzolo. Alyssa Taylor pushed Ervin to third as she singled to center field. Marina Wilkerson completed Ervin’s run off of a single to left field. With the score 3-0, Sam Taylor doubled to center field, running in A. Taylor and Wilkerson extending the Mocs’ lead, 5-0.
Hamill would shadow with a consecutive double to left field, running in S. Taylor for the last run of the game.
Deason (8-3), who struck out seven batters and issued just walk, retired the next four batters to preserve her shutout, giving the Mocs a 6-0 victory.
Chattanooga takes on Boston University at 11:15 a.m. on Sunday.
BYU 3, Western Carolina 1
Utah Valley 4, Western Carolina 2
SATNTEE, Calif. – Western Carolina (7-16) was swept in day two action at the San Diego Classic II falling to BYU 3-1 and closing out the day with a loss to Utah Valley 4-2.
A pair of Catamount errors led to three BYU runs and it was all the Cougars needed to take the game.
After two scoreless innings, BYU plated two runs in the bottom of the third inning. A Western Carolina error allowed Caitlyn Larsen to reach first. With one out a pair of BYU singles scored Larsen for the first run of the game. BYU added a run from an RBI single by Bell.
In the fourth inning BYU’s Madison Merrell was hit by Western Carolina starting pitcher Jordan Garrett. Attempting to steal, it looked like Merrell would be caught stealing by Catamount catcher Heather Chastain but the ball was dropped by short stop Emily Helton and Merrell sat on second. She scored off an RBI single by Lacey Hofstedt.
Garrett tossed four innings allowing three runs, two earned, four hits and striking out two. Sophomore hurler Courtney Buchanan tossed two scoreless innings giving Western Carolina the chance to rally back in the top of the seventh inning.
With one out, sophomore third baseman Kara Salvo led off the inning with a single to left field and moved all the way to third off a Cougar error in the outfield. Crytal Cyr’s RBI single to right center scored Salvo and put the tying run at the plate. Ana Hughey pinch ran for Cyr and she was moved over to second on a nice sacrifice bunt by Chastain. However, Hughey was stranded at third with a strikeout and a fly out by the next two Catamount batters.
Garrett takes the loss in the game and falls to 5-7 on the year.
Western Carolina jumped on the scoreboard first scoring a run in the bottom of the first. Freshman Abigail Daniels drew a lead-off walk. Daniels stole second and moved up to third on a Utah Valley error. Daniels scored on an RBI single up the middle by Salvo.
Garrett, who started the game, had a no-hitter through five innings before she gave up a one out walk that turned into a run by the Wolverines. Cera Stanley broke up Garrett’s no-hitter with a single that moved Taleigh Williams to second. Erin Romero hit an RBI double, the second Utah Valley hit of the inning, to tie the game at one.
Western Carolina retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth, 2-1, all set up by freshman Helton’s lead-off double. With one out, Helton moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Daniels. Helton scored on an RBI single by Victoria Mariscal. The Catamounts had a chance to add more runs as with two outs they got the bases loaded with a single by Salvo and a walk by Taylor Sigmon. Courtney Price ground out to end the inning.
Garrett left the game after five innings giving up one run on two hits striking out four. Garrett got the no decision after Utah Valley re-took the lead in the top of the sixth.
Buchanan took over for Garrett, in the circle, in the top of the sixth and gave up the lead on two straight hits. A double by Brianna Gaitlin and then an RBI single by Jayley Watson. Utah Valley took the lead with three runs in the top of the sixth.
Giving up the lead and allowing Utah Valley to take the lead hands the Buchanan the loss as she falls to 0-6 on the season.
Western Carolina closes out play at the San Diego Classic II at 9 a.m. PDT Sunday against Weber State.