Bears Postseason Hopes on the Line This Weekend At USC Upstate
4/26/2013 12:00:00 AM | Softball
| Mercer at USC Upstate Game Capsule | |
| DATE AND TIME |
Saturday April 27, 2013 - 2 and 4 p.m. EST Sunday Aprili 28, 2013 - 1 p.m. EST |
| LOCATION | Spartanburg, S.C. (SCyrill Stadium) |
| MERCER (Visitor) | 24-29 Overall, 10-14 Atlantic Sun - Roster |
| USC Upstate (Home) | 37-9 Overall, 17-6 Atlantic Sun - Roster |
| MEDIA | LIVE STATS, A-SUN TV (Broadcast) |
| WEATHER |
Spartanburg, S.C. Area - 66 rain on April 27, 2013 |
| SOCIAL MEDIA | Follow on Twitter: @MercerBears or @MercerUSoftball |
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer softball team is in a must-win situation this weekend as it travels to Spartanburg, S.C. for its final Atlantic Sun regular season series at USC Upstate.
The Bears (24-29, 10-14 A-Sun) need to sweep the current first-place Spartans (37-9, 17-6 A-Sun) in the three-game series which begins on Saturday in order to have any hopes of making the upcoming A-Sun Championship in Nashville, Tenn. Mercer would also need a couple of losses from both Stetson and Jacksonville on the weekend in order to secure one of six tournament spots.
After getting out to a promising start in conference play, the Orange and Black have struggled late in the year for the second year in a row, having lost eight of its last nine conference games. The Bears will look to snap an eight game conference losing streak in Saturday's doubleheader which begins at 2 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
MACON, Ga. – In a make-up game of a rained-out series earlier in the year, the Mercer softball team broke out of its recent slide to take a convincing 8-0 win over Savannah State at Sikes Field on Wednesday.
The win snaps the Bears' six-game losing streak and closes out the team's regular season home schedule. It also settles the regular season series between the two schools, as Mercer and Savannah State had traded games at the FIU Classic in late February.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION – USC Upstate –Saturday April 27 (2 & 4 p.m.) and Sunday April 28 (1 p.m.)
LIVE STATS
The Spartans head into the regular season's final weekend atop the latest A-Sun standings with an impressive 17-6 record. However, after picking up a No. 24 ranking just two weeks ago, the Spartans have lost two consecutive series and five out of their last seven to conference opponents.
Upstate boasts one of the most complete teams in the A-Sun with the league's top offense and second-best pitching staff. The Spartans bat .333 as a team and have plated 294 runs this season, both of which lead the conference. Their stable of pitchers carry a combined 2.23 ERA and have allowed just 226 total hits –73 fewer than the next closest team, Stetson.
The Spartans also have five of the league's top 15 batters in their lineup, including Ericka Harris, Meredith Barnes and Maddison Keiffer who all tout a .374 batting average. The Upstate pitching staff started off the season on torrid pace, but have slowed of late giving up 35 runs in their last eight games.
GAME NOTES
-Mercer's Krista Kennedy has continued her career season for the Bears as she currently ranks first in A-Sun with 57 RBI. Kennedy is now the program's single-season RBI leader.
-Fellow junior McKenzie Woody still remains as the top hits leader in the country this season with 80 and is 31th in the country with a .431 batting average.
