Mercer University
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North Fla.
Softball Sweeps North Florida in Sunday Doubleheader, Looks for Series Sweep Monday
3/30/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer University softball team scored 22 total runs while only giving up two en route to a doubleheader sweep of North Florida University at Sikes Filed on Sunday.
Mercer (26-11, 8-2 Atlantic Sun) trounced reigning conference champion North Florida (19-16, 4-10 A-Sun) in both games of Sunday's doubleheader with neither game making it into the seventh inning. Game one saw Mercer win 11-0 and game two saw the Bears with an 11-2 victory.
In the first game, the Bears racked up 12 hits while tallying 11 runs to give freshman Kirsten Stevens (9-2) her ninth win of her inaugural campaign. Mercer scored 10 runs in the first two innings off of the top two Ospreys pitchers.
Freshman Caroline Taylor had a terrific day that started with a 2-for-3 performance in the first game. She hit a three-run home run in the first inning that scored senior Krista Kennedy and sophomore Kaytlin Haney. She then hit a two-run triple in the second inning that gave her the five total RBIs she finished with. Taylor would later score, giving her two runs scored on the game.
Junior Riley Carter, junior Kaylynn Sloat, and freshman Taylor Miller were the other three Mercer hitters to record two hits. Carter scored twice while also stealing two bases, including a steal of home during a double steal play in which Sloat also stole second. Both Sloat and Miller scored once on a single by Haney in the third while Sloat also recorded an RBI.
Stevens had her stuff working for her throughout the game. She was rarely in trouble with runners on, since she only allowed four all game, and she also had a strikeout. Her performance was the definition of scattering hits as North Florida got just one hit (A walk instead of a hit in the third) each inning with the base runner never reaching second base.
The second game was tense for the first three innings, as North Florida took a 2-0 lead in the second, but Mercer scored six in the fourth, two in the fifth, and then three in the sixth to seal the win. The Bears launched four home runs out of Sikes Field in the second game, giving them a total of 46 on the season.
After spending an inning and a half trailing by two, Haney stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the fourth and decided she had seen enough and ripped a solo shot over the wall in left-centerfield. She also would record a sac fly later in the game to give her two RBIs on the game and 40 on the season. Taylor then followed with a single and sophomore Natalie Shiver blasted a home run off the scoreboard in left field to give the Bears the lead.
Taylor followed up her first performance with another two hits in three tries including one more homer, and two RBIs. With those two home runs today she now has 12 in 2014. Kennedy was the fourth and final home run of the game as she belted a three-run shot to center in the sixth to push the advantage past the eight-run threshold needed to call the game.
Freshman Anna O'Neill got the nod to start and battled through two innings of constant base running threats. Senior Julia Rice (8-2) relieved her to start the third inning and was the pitcher of record for the winning Bears. Rice had the North Florida hitters baffled all game as only three Ospreys made it to base against her. She also had a five-pitch inning when she first entered in the third that included her one strikeout on the day.
Sloat took a pitch to the shoulder in game two giving her 15 hit-by-pitches this season. She is ranked in the top-five nationally in that category.
Mercer and North Florida will conclude their series on Monday at 1:00 p.m.
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