Mercer Slugs Way to 9-0 Win over UNCG on Wednesday
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Third-seeded Mercer racked up 11 hits against UNCG for the 9-0 victory on Wednesday afternoon in final game of the opening day at the 2015 SoCon Softball Championship at Frost Stadium in Chattanooga, Tenn.
The Bears (35-20) advance to play No. 2 seed Samford at 2 p.m. on Thursday in a winner’s bracket matchup. The Spartans (24-21) will face No. 7 seed ETSU in an elimination game at 9 a.m. on Thursday morning.
Mercer’s Kirsten Stevens, the SoCon Pitcher of the Year, recorded a strong performance to open the tournament, tossing 6.0 scoreless innings while scattering six hits and walking one against two strikeouts. Kaylynn Sloat went 3-for-3 with a double, a grand slam, four RBIs and a run to lead the Bears on offense. Natalie Shiver added a 3-for-3 performance with three runs scored while Quirisa Mauga added a double and two RBIs.
UNCG totaled six hits as a team divided up among six different players. Nicole Thomas was 1-for-2 with a walk to up her batting average to .393 on the season.
Mercer scored to open the game with two outs in the bottom of the first. Riley Carter reached on an infield single followed by Natalie Shiver with a single up the middle. Taylor Rogers then singled to right to score Carter and give the Bears a 1-0 lead before Shiver was thrown out at home 9-3-2 to end the inning.
Both pitchers would take control of the game until the fourth inning. UNCG looked poised to get on the board in the top half. Danielle Vega led off the frame with a double to right center and Nicole Thomas walked to put two on with one out. Stevens rallied and got a 5-3 double play and a flyout to right to end the inning and keep the Spartans from scoring.
Mercer then added to its lead in the bottom half of the inning with two runs. Shiver doubled to right center to start off the inning and two batters later Caroline Taylor singled to right to score her. Sloat would follow with a double to put runners on first and second with one out, forcing UNCG to go to the bullpen and bring in Nicole Thomas. Thomas would walk the first batted she faced and then hit the next to bring in the Bears’ second run of the inning. She got a much-needed strikeout and a popout to retire the side and contain the damage.
Mercer tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the 5th, both coming with two outs. Shiver drew a one-out walk to start the inning and Taylor drew a two-out walk to put runners on first and second. Sloat was then hit-by-pitch to load the bases ahead of Quirisa Mauga, who doubled to center to drive in two and put runners on second and third. Emma Andrew was then hit by a pitch to reload the bases and bring on the second UNCG pitching change of the game. Mackenzie Winslow was able to retire the first batter she faced, getting a foul out to the shortstop to end the inning.
UNCG had another opportunity to cut in to the Mercer lead in the top of the 6th. Geiner led off with a single and two batters later Nicole Thomas followed with a single as well. Lindsay Thomas then singled up the middle to load the bases with no out. Once again, Stevens was able to get out of the jam with a forceout at home and a flyout to left.
Mercer would close out the game at the plate in the bottom of the 6th, as Sloat hit a grand slam to put the Bears up 9-0 and give them the victory by run rule.
The SoCon Tournament will resume on Thursday morning with the first of five games slated to begin at 9 a.m.
Samford Edges ETSU, 3-1, on Wednesday
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The No. 2 seed Samford Bulldogs used clutch pitching and timely hitting to top ETSU, 3-1, on Wednesday afternoon at the 2015 SoCon Softball Championship at Frost Stadium in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Samford’s Grey Adams and Mollie Hanson combined to allow just one on eight hits with nine strikeouts against one walk. Adams earned her ninth victory of the season while Hanson recorded her third save of the season to put the Bulldogs in the winner’s bracket. Caroline Wilder carried Samford on offense, driving in two of the three runs in the game and scoring one on her fourth home run of the season. Hannah Taylor was a team-best 2-for-2 in the contest.
Seven different batters recorded a hit for ETSU, led by Jennine Duncan who was 2-for-3 and scored the Bucs only run of the game. Alex Everett singled in the fifth and drove in Duncan for the team’s only RBI in the contest. Whitney Leon was the tough-luck loser, tossing 6.0 innings and allowing three runs on seven hits with one walk against three strikeouts.
Both pitchers cruised through the early innings before ETSU got the offense going in the top half of the fourth, loading the bases with just one out on back-to-back singles followed by a walk. After a meeting on the mound, though, Adams came back to get back-to-back strikeouts to retire the side and leave the bases loaded.
Samford capitalized on the swing in momentum and broke open the game with a solo home run by Wilder to lead off the bottom of the fourth. Taylor then singled with one out and was pinch run for by Caroline Seay. Two batters later, Seay stole second and Abbie Miranda doubled to left center to score her later in the at-bat, giving the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead.
ETSU would answer with a run in the top of the fifth. Duncan got an infield single to the pitcher with one out and Fox followed with a bunt single to put runners at first and second. Everett then hit an RBI single to right center to score Fox and put Duncan at third, still with one out. Hanson would come on to pitch and strikeout two of the next three batters to retire the side with no further damage done.
Samford would get the run back in the bottom half of the inning. Maze led off the inning with a single before Bice walked to put two on with one out. Brister then moved the runners up with a sacrifice bunt to put runners at second and third with one out. Wilder drove in the run with a sac fly to left but Brister was thrown out trying to go to third on the play, ending the inning.
ETSU continued to put the pressure on Samford in the top of the sixth, as Cowart reached with one out on an error and Pickett and Duncan followed with back-to-back singles to load the bases with one out. Hanson was able to pitch out the jam again, though, getting a force out at home and a lineout to right to get out of the inning unscathed.
Hanson would close out the game by getting ETSU in order in the 7th with two groundouts and a strikeout to give Samford its 33rd win of the season.
Samford will play the winner of Mercer/UNCG at approximately 2 p.m. on Thursday. ETSU will play the loser of that game at 9 a.m. on Thursday morning.
Western Carolina Powers Past Furman, 6-1, on Wednesday
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Fifth-seeded Western Carolina used four doubles and a home run to top fourth-seeded Furman, 6-1, on Wednesday in the opening game of the 2015 SoCon Softball Championship at Frost Stadium in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Catamounts will now face No. 1 seed Chattanooga on Thursday at 11:30 a.m.
Western Carolina was led by Courtney Price, who went 2-for-4 with a homer, a run and three RBIs. Jordan Garrett was outstanding in the circle to earn the victory, tossing a complete game and allowing one run on five hits with four walks against seven strikeouts. Amber Kimrey went 1-for-3 with two RBIs and Karley Harkey was 1-for-3 with an RBI as well.
Furman got single and its only run of the game from Natalie Clemmons. Taylor Jenkins was 1-for-3 with an RBI while Ambree Muller, Tayor Collins and Courtney Jacobs each contributed a hit.
Pitching shined in the early going, as Furman’s Lindsey Bert and Western Carolina’s Garrett battled to keep the game scoreless through two innings. Bert was perfect through the first three innings, recording four strikeouts in the process, while Garrett pitched around a couple of early walks.
Furman would break the scoreless tie with a run in the third. Clemmons reached on a two-out, infield single and Bishop followed with a walk to put runners at first and second. Jenkins would then single to left to score Clemmons from second and give the Paladins the early lead.
Western Carolina attempted to start a two-out rally of its own in the top of the fourth. Emily Helton was hit-by-pitch to start the inning but would remain at first with two outs after a fly out and a pop out. Heather Chastain would keep the inning going, doubling to put runners on second and third with two outs. Bert would get a fly out to retire the side and maintain the 1-0 Furman lead.
The Catamounts would break through in the 5th inning to tie the game at 1-1. Taylor Sigmon doubled in to the left-center gap to put a runner at second with one out. Kimrey moved her to third with a groundout to second and Harkey would drive her in with a single up the middle.
Western Carolina then busted the game open in the top of the 6th, scoring four runs all with two outs. Victoria Mariscal led off the inning with a single and Price cashed it in three batters later with a two-out, two-run home run to the Catamounts on top 3-1. Cyr then doubled to left and Furman intentionally walked Sigmon, putting runners on first and second. Kimrey then added to the lead with a double to left center to score both runners and make it a 5-1 game.
The Catamounts would add one more run in the top of the 7th. Kara Salvo singled with one out and Abigail Daniels would come on to pitch run. Chastain would move her to second with a sac bunt and then Daniels would take third on a delayed steal. Prince then singled up the middle to bring her home and put the score at the final margin of 6-1.
Garrett would finish off the game with a strikeout to end a potential two-out rally by Paladins in the bottom of the 7th. The senior pitcher tossed her 13th complete game of the season and earned her 15th victory to even her season record. She out-dueled first-team All-Conference pitcher Lindsey Bert, who allowed six runs on nine hits despite striking out eight batters against just one walk.
Furman will play in an elimination game at 7 p.m. on Thursday, facing the loser of game six that takes place at 2 p.m. tomorrow.