Mercer University
Campbell
Bears Out Hit Camels; Fall in Conference Opener
3/19/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – The Mercer softball team opened up Atlantic Sun Conference play and a six-game road trip on Saturday falling in a pair of games at Campbell, 3-2 and 6-3.
The Bears(16-10, 0-2 A-Sun) and Camels(14-13, 2-0 A-Sun) continued their highly competitive series, perhaps for the final time on Saturday as the Camels are leaving the A-Sun for the Big South at the conclusion of the 2011 season. Including Saturday, four out of the last six games between the two schools have been decided by one run.
On Saturday the Bears offense recorded more hits than the Camels in each of the games, but fell short in getting key runs across the plate.
Mercer came out in game one determined and aggressive on the base pads and put several runners in scoring position throughout the game. However, it was lack of clutch at bats to drive them in that hampered the run support for the Bears late in the ballgame.
Senior pitcher Kari Chambers pitched another gem in game one as she gave up just one earned run in seven complete innings pitched. The Woodstock, Ga. native started out even hotter giving up just one hit and striking out seven through five. Chambers finished the day giving up six hits, three runs and struck out nine in total.
In the top half of the sixth, the Bears found a way to generate a couple of runs for Chambers and took a promising 2-0 lead. Junior Tiffany Phillips drove in the Bears' first run, bringing in fellow junior Jenny Goodman from third on an infield single. Two batters later senior Allison Jones doubled to left center, scoring Phillips from second.
In the bottom of the half of the inning however, the Camels were able to tie the game after a pair of singles of their own. Chambers did a good job of preserving the score and was able to work herself out of the inning, giving up just the two runs on two hits.
The Bears left another runner on in the top of the seventh before getting themselves in another sticky situation with the bases loaded in the bottom half of the inning. All told the Bears offense left nine runners on base to the Camels four in game one.
Again Chambers would work out of the jam to push the Bears into their second extra-inning game of the season. In the eighth, junior pitcher Kassie Bailey came in for Chambers with the bases loaded and was able to get two outs before letting up the game winning hit to Campbell's Sarah Ling.
Game two started out in much the same fashion as senior pitcher Jenni Holtz looked effective through three innings of work.
With two out in the bottom of the fourth, Holtz left a pitch out over the plate and Campbell's Taylor McGee hit her sixth home run of the season to give the Camels a 2-0 lead. Holtz responded by striking out the side to end the inning.
Campbell added four more in the fifth as Kassie Bailey inherited several base runners after relieving Holtz in the inning. By the end of five Campbell had a 6-0 and it would prove to be enough as the Bears late rally fell short.
Mercer scored a run in the sixth and two in the seventh off the bats of junior Sara Stukes and freshman Randi Rea, but the rally fell short. Senior Amanda Santa Maria represented the tying run in the seventh with two on, and after a solid at bat flied out to left to end the game.
The Bears get back to action next weekend as the team heads to Jacksonville, Fla. On Friday, the Bears take on the Jacksonville Dolphins before heading to North Florida on for a doubleheader on Saturday.
