Mercer University
Chattanooga
Bears Split With Chattanooga; Play Central Arkansas At Noon Sunday
3/2/2013 12:00:00 AM | Softball
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer softball team salvaged a split on day two of the Mercer Bears Classic as the team both won and lost to Chattanooga on Saturday earning the team a place in the early game on the final day of the three-day tournament tomorrow.
The Bears (11-11) finished round-robin play with a 3-2 win over Chattanooga in game one, but then fell in bracket play 8-2 to the Mocs in game two. With the loss, Mercer is 2-2 on the weekend thus far and now faces Central Arkansas at noon on Sunday.
Chattanooga (9-9) is also 2-2 in the tournament and squares off against Northern Kentucky, who downed UCA 7-6 in the other semi-final, in the championship game at 2:15
GAME ONE:
Mercer earned the No. 2 seed heading into bracket play of the tournament by capturing a 3-2 win after some late-inning heroics by sophomore Rachel Hugghins.
Through the first five innings the Bears had mustered just two hits off Chattanooga starting pitcher Kaisey Carson. Trailing 1-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth, Mercer were in desperate need of some offensive production. That is when Hugghins came through.
After senior Sarah Santana and led off the inning being hit by a pitch, junior Krista Kennedy moved into scoring position with a single to right field as Santana was narrowly thrown out at third. Freshman Ashton Holt advanced Kennedy to third with a single of her own, thus setting the stage for Hugghins.
Hugghins fought off several pitches with a full-count before connecting with her first homerun of her Mercer career – a three-run shot that ended up counting as the game-winning runs.
Chattanooga scored a run in their half of the seventh off Mercer starting pitcher Julia Rice, but junior Kristen Bretscher came in relief to get the final out and her first save as a Bear.
GAME TWO:
In game two, the Bears fell behind early and watched seven runs come across by the end of the fifth, which proved to be too much as Chattanooga rode a complete-game performance by Taylor Deason for the 8-2 win.
Mercer freshman second baseman Kaytlin Haney accounted for three of the Bears' seven hits in the game, finishing 3-for-4. Santana and Kennedy each had RBI in the game, moving their team-leading season totals to 17 and 21 respectively. Kennedy is now 5-for-11 on the weekend with three homeruns and six RBI.
Senior Kerri Nidiffer received the start in game two and two and a third, allowing three runs (two earned) before Bretscher took over the rest of the way. With the loss, Nidiffer moves to 6-6 on the year.
Mercer plays one more game to wrap up its home tournament tomorrow against Central Arkansas. Game time is set for noon.
