Mercer University
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North Fla.
Softball Sweeps Series with North Florida
3/31/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
MACON, Ga. – A masterful performance from freshman Kirsten Stevens led the Mercer University softball team to a series sweep of North Florida University with a 7-2 win at Sikes Field Monday.
Mercer (27-11, 9-2 Atlantic Sun) hit three home runs and gave Stevens (10-2) plenty of run support against North Florida (19-17, 4-11 A-Sun) as she got her tenth win of the year. Mercer's hitters have now hit 49 total home runs this season.
Stevens had a perfect game through six full innings before the Ospreys rattled off three straight hits and scored their two runs in the seventh. Stevens still managed to produce an eye-popping stat line. In her complete game, she gave up just those three hits and two runs while striking out eight. She was remarkably efficient, not walking anyone, and getting to a three-ball count only a couple of times.
Her counterpart, Kayla Goff (4-6) for North Florida had another outing much like the one she pitched in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader. Only one unearned Bear run crossed the plate in the first three innings, but junior Kaylynn Sloat hit a solo shot in the fourth and Goff stayed in until the sixth when she allowed four runs (three earned) on two home runs.
Mercer squeezed one more run across when sophomore Kaytlin Haney tripled and scored senior McKenzie Woody. They needed just one more run to induce the run rule, but didn't get it.
Woody had a good day. She had two hits in four tries with that run scored. Haney also was 2-for-4 with that RBI and a run scored. Sloat rounded out the multi-hitters for Mercer, going 2-for-3 with that homer in the fourth. Senior Randi Rea pinch hit in the sixth and hit a three-run home run that probably flew 20 feet past the left field fence. Junior Riley Carter hit a solo homer of her own to left not two pitches after Rea's.
"We really took care of business these last three games," head coach James DeFeo said. "Our hitters had terrific at-bats and we got solid outings from our pitchers. This sweep is huge for us, going forward."
North Florida entered the series with third-best team ERA in the Atlantic Sun.
Due to the rain changing the schedule this past weekend the Bears will have a quick turnaround only getting one day off before hosting a conference doubleheader against in-state rival Kennesaw State. The times for both games are scheduled for 4:00 p.m. and 6:00p.m.
