Mercer University
Florida A&M
Bears Sweep Florida A&M to Extend Winning Streak
3/24/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
BOX SCORE - Game One
BOX SCORE - Game Two
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Mercer softball team finished up its prep work for Atlantic Sun Conference play on Saturday by taking a 4-3 and 10-1 doubleheader sweep over Florida A&M.
With the wins, Mercer moves its overall record to 19-13 and extended their season-long winning streak to seven games. The Bears must now shift their focus to the A-Sun portion of the schedule, opening up next weekend at USC Upstate and ETSU.
Saturday's twinbill represented one final tune-up for a Bears squad that has seemingly found their stride over the past several weeks. The Bears picked up a scrappy 4-3 win in game one by plating three runs in the top of the seventh off just four total hits in the game.
Game two was a different story as the Bears made quick work of the Lady Rattlers in five innings, winning 10-1.
GAME ONE
A Lilli Luke pinch-hit three-run home run in the top of the seventh proved to be the game-winning runs as the Bears capped a late-inning comeback in game one. Mercer led most of the way after jumping out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first.
Neither team produced much in the way of runs over the next five innings as the Bears rode the 1-0 lead into the sixth. Florida A&M was able to take the lead in the bottom of the sixth off a sacrifice fly to left and a RBI double off Mercer starting pitcher, Kassie Bailey.
Bailey gave up the lead and was on the hook for the loss before Luke bailed her out with her first home run of the season in the next inning. Bailey allowed three earned runs and eight hits en route to a complete-game victory. The win is her sixth overall on the year.
Two of the Bears' four hits in the game came off the bat of sophomore McKenzie Woody. Woody, who leads the A-Sun in total hits, added two more to her season total of 51 in game one.
GAME TWO
A 10-1 run-rule victory in game accounted for the team's 10th win of its last 12. A total of eight different Bears recorded hits, including seniors Sara Stukes, Kassie Bailey and junior Sarah Santana who each had two in the game.
Santana opened up the scoring with her team-leading sixth home run of the season in the top of the first. Santana's two-run home run also added to her season total of 23 RBI, which also leads the team.
A Stukes RBI double in the second gave the Bears a quick 3-0 lead before Santana made her way back to the plate. The junior from Valdosta, Ga. plated two more RBI off her fifth double of the season and gave her four total in the game. At the end of two Mercer held a dominate 5-0 lead.
Bailey's second hit of the game was a RBI triple in the third that scored the Bears sixth run of the game. One more run came across in the inning when Tiffany Phillips score Bailey off an RBI groundout.
Mercer held a 7-1 lead going into the fourth and for the second time on the day, Lilli Luke came up with a clutch hit. Luke hit an RBI single in the inning to give the Bears enough of an advantage to take the run-rule victory. Mercer's 10th and final run came across off a Kassie Bailey RBI single.
Kerri Nidiffer, who had taken over for starting pitcher Jessica Holsinger in the third, allowed just two hits while striking out five over three total innings of relief work.
