Bears Impressive In Sweep of Savannah State
4/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
MACON, Ga. – A day after splitting a home double-header against Florida A&M in unsettling fashion, the Mercer Bears came out to prove their true identity, defeating Savannah State 6-0 and 18-0 on Wednesday.
Head coach Mike Raynor said Tuesday that his team has had trouble maintaining a level of intensity and focus which has resulted in schizophrenic run scoring and a couple early losses. On Wednesday, Mercer(9-6, 0-0 A-Sun) found a pulse and overpowered the Tigers from beginning to end. In total, the Bears gave up just four hits and scored a combined 22 runs in the double-header.
Junior pitcher Kari Chambers performed well on Wednesday recording her third complete game of the season by pitching a one-hit shutout in game one. Chambers threw seven innings giving up the one hit, one walk and 13 strikeouts.
Her run support began early as Bears' lead-off batter junior Anna Johnson helped generate the game-winning run in the bottom of the first. Johnson reached on an infield single to second base then proceeded to steal second and score a run on a senior Holly Oglesbee double to left center later in the inning.
Johnson scored her second run of the game after she doubled again in the third and advanced on a throwing error by Savannah State third baseman Tiffany Taylor. Johnson went 6-for-7 on the day with a pair of doubles, a triple and one RBI.
Mercer would add two more in the fifth before sophomore Lilli Luke went deep for the first time in a Bear uniform. Luke drove in sophomore Stephanie Canara on her first career homerun to deep center field. The Tigers would go three-up-three-down in the seventh giving the Bears their eighth win of the season.
In game two, the Bears would not let off the throttle this time as they pummeled the Tigers for 18 runs on 11 hits. Coach Raynor gave the ball to freshman Molly Anderson for her first-career start and Anderson helped maintain the overall shutout by going two innings giving up three hits and striking out two in the win. Sophomore Kerri Nidiffer saw her first action of 2010 as well on Wednesday going two innings and giving up no hits against five batters.
The young pitchers were able to work with a heavy cushion as Mercer racked up nine runs in the first inning on six hits. The Bears would add eight more in the second with the help of a three-run blast from sophomore Kristen Marko; it was Marko's second on the season. She led all Bears on the day with three RBI.
The Bears will have the weekend off before heading to Alabama State next Wednesday and then playing the Georgia Tech Buzz Classic from March 5-7.
