Bears Look to Regroup at Georgia Southern Wednesday
4/2/2013 12:00:00 AM | Softball
MACON, Ga. – An in-state non-conference rivalry game might just be what the Mercer softball team needs after being swept by Jacksonville this past weekend at home.
The Bears head to Georgia Southern on Wednesday afternoon to take on the Eagles in a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. and will look to break out of an offensive slump that saw the team record just 11hits in the last three games. The Bears currently sit in fifth place in the latest A-Sun standings with a 9-6 conference mark.
Mercer will need to utilize the in-state midweek matchup with Georgia Southern to prepare for its next conference series, which brings Florida Gulf Coast to Macon for a three-game set this Saturday and Sunday.
LAST TIME OUT
MACON, Ga. – For a second day in a row, the potent Mercer offense was held at bay as the Bears were swept in the final game of a three-game series against the visiting Jacksonville Dolphins, 11-1 on Saturday afternoon.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION – Georgia Southern
Game One – Wednesday – 3 p.m. – LIVE STATS
Game Two – Wednesday – 5 p.m. – LIVE STATS
Georgia Southern comes into Wednesday's doubleheader having lost 10 out of its last 12 and a 16-20 overall record. The Eagles are currently fourth in the SoCon with a 5-3 league mark, but rank last in the conference with a .222 team batting average.
Shelby Morrill leads the Eagles with a .352 average with a team-high 37 hits, including nine doubles. Tabby Douberley has driven in the most RBI on the squad with 26 and Kourtny Thomas leads the team with eight homeruns.
Inside the circle, Georgia Southern boasts a trio of pitchers with experience this season. Sarah Purvis carries a team-leading 2.27 ERA with a 9-11 overall record. The 2.27 ERA is good enough for fourth-best in the SoCon. Purvis also leads the team with 19 starts and 114.1 innings pitch, while Allie Miles lacks behind her with 11 starts and 76.1 innings thrown.
The Bears and Eagles split the season series last year at Sikes Field as Mercer won game one 3-2 and then fell in game two 5-2.
GAME NOTES
-Junior McKenzie Woody is tops in the nation in hits this season with 62 and is up to 21th in the country with a .449 batting average, from 26th a week ago. She is just two hits shy of 200 for her career and she is now just 12 shy of tying her Mercer single-season record from a year ago.
