Mercer University
Georgia St.
Bears Outhit Georgia St. in Doubleheader Split
4/19/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
MACON, Ga. – Mercer softball's hopes for a non-conference sweep against in-state rival Georgia St. fell just short on Tuesday night as the team dropped game two by a narrow 3-2 margin after winning game one 8-2.
The Bears (24-20, 6-8 A-Sun) scattered 19 hits in the two games, but couldn't come up with a clutch hit late in the second game to secure the sweep. The game-two loss moved the Bears to 4-7 in one-run games this season.
In fact, MU has failed to win this season (0-15) when they score two or fewer runs in a game. That stat held true in game two as the Bears were only able to plate two runs in an attempt for the come-from-behind victory.
Mercer got off to a quick start in game one with some aggressive base running by freshman McKenzie Woody. With runners on first and third in the bottom of the first, Woody made good on a double steal attempt and scored from third to give the Bears an early 1-0 lead.
The Panthers tied things up in the top of the second on a steal attempt of their own. Mercer's Sarah Santana looked to throw out GSU's Emily Whitaker at third and the ball ended up going into leftfield and allowed Whitaker to score.
The Bears then took the lead for good in the third as the team scored four runs on three hits in the inning. Junior Kassie Bailey drove in her first of four RBI in the game as she singled to third base scoring freshman Randi Rea from third.
Bailey finished game one going 3-for-4 with a pair of singles and a two-run double. She also extended her hitting streak to nine games, which is a team high in 2011. During that stretch, Bailey has batted .448 (13-29) with eight RBI and a home run.
Senior pitcher Kari Chambers recorded her team-leading 12th victory of the season as she threw her 13th complete game, giving up just four hits and one earned in game one. Chambers also struck out five batters to give her 129 on the year.
In game two, senior pitcher Jenni Holtz looked to follow suit of Chambers and was able to bail herself out of a couple of early jams in the first and second innings. Then in the third, Holtz left one pitch out over the plate that GSU's Tiffany Bess took deep to left center field for a three-run home run.
Holtz rebounded after giving up the big hit and finished out the game without giving up another run and striking out seven batters in her 10th complete game of the season.
Unfortunately for Holtz, the Bears offense could only muster two runs on 10 hits as the late-inning rally fell short.
Bailey ended up recording one hit in game two to keep her nine-game streak alive and McKenzie Woody added three hits to end the day going 5-for-8 with two runs scored in the two games.
The Bears pick up A-Sun play again this Thursday and Friday as the team travels to Nashville, Tenn. for a pair of doubleheaders against Belmont and Lipscomb, respectively. MU's doubleheader against Belmont starts at 6 p.m. and the following day at Lipscomb first pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.
