Bears Fail to Score Late; Drop Doubleheader at Jacksonville

Friday, March 25

5 pm

Mercer University

Jacksonville

Bears Fail to Score Late; Drop Doubleheader at Jacksonville

3/25/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Mercer softball team failed to salvage a game two victory in Friday's Atlantic Sun doubleheader at Jacksonville, losing both games 7-0 and 1-0 respectively.

The Bears(16-12, 0-4 A-Sun) rode the arm of senior pitcher Jenni Holtz for nine innings, but failed to score a run for their fourth-straight conference loss.

Holtz, came into the day 4-1 all-time against the Dolphins and was efficient in holding the Dolphins(20-12, 2-0 A-Sun) scoreless into extra innings. After the Bears failed to plate the go-ahead run in the top half of the ninth, Jacksonville's Miranda Fleming dropped a bloop single to left scoring Morgan Kibler from second for the game winner.

Holtz, who had been hampered by an injury recently, looked full strength on Friday striking out five in 8.2 innings or work. Adding to her myriad of accolades, Holtz also surpassed 700 innings pitched for her career in the game.

Defensively, the Bears were sharp as well turning two double plays (three total on the day) and made quick work of the eight hits scattered by Holtz.

Offensively, Mercer was shutout in both games for the first time since an 8-0 loss against Virginia Tech in the second week of the season. All told, the Bears had just six hits with junior Kristin Marko recording half of those, going 3-for-5 in the two games.

The Bears bats were quiet in game one thanks to Jacksonville pitcher Sarah Sigrest. Sigrest, the reigning A-Sun Pitcher of the Week, threw a dominant one-hit complete game shutout.

The junior carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and retired the first two batters before Marko came to the plate. The junior catcher, who was 0-for-2 in game one, laced a double down the left field line to spoil Sigrest's no-hitter.

Kari Chambers started game one for the Bears and had a solid outing striking out six batters in her 18^th appearance this season. Chambers was vulnerable because of the Bears lack of run support, but kept the Bears in the game through five.

Junior Tiffany Phillips had the Bears lone extra base hit in the game, tallying a late-inning double in game two.

Mercer has a short turn around as the team faces the second of the two Jacksonville, Fla. schools in North Florida tomorrow. First pitch for the doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m.