Mercer University
East Tenn. St.
Softball Splits First two Conference Games with ETSU
3/8/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The Mercer Softball team put on a hitting clinic at Betty Basler Field Saturday against East Tennessee State as both teams opened conference play.
Mercer (16-7, 1-1 Atlantic Sun) won the first game and ETSU (10-7, 1-1 A-Sun) took the second game.
GAME 0NE –MU 18, ETSU 0
The Bears struck hard and fast in the conference opener as they used a five-run first inning to propel them to a monster five inning, 18-run blowout. In all, Mercer had 17 hits and five walks.
Senior Krista Kennedy, sophomore Natalie Shiver, and freshman Caroline Taylor all homered in the game, with Shiver launching a grand slam in the fourth inning and Taylor and Kennedy tallying three hits, apiece. Eight Bears hitters recorded an RBI including sophomore Kaytlin Haney, junior Riley Carter, junior Molly Garmany, junior Kaylynn Sloat, and junior Victoria Hugghins.
One run would have been enough for freshman Kirsten Stevens as she had another good outing in the circle. In the five innings she pitched, she didn't allow a run and scattered five hits and a walk while striking out two.
Mercer entered the game as the second leading run scoring team in the Atlantic Sun, and they showed why in the first game.
GAME TWO MU8, ETSU 11
After being blanked in the first game, the Buccaneers turned things around in the second stringing runs and hits together to come up with the victory.
Mercer battled, though, and the bats stayed hot, ETSU just had the upper hand in this one.
Kennedy turned in another multi-hi, home run smashing performance as she went 2-3 with said homer, a double, a run scored, and six RBIs. Along with two in the first game, she ended Saturday knocking in eight runs total.
Haney also turned in a nice game. She got two hits in four tries while scoring once and knocking one in.
Freshman Anna O'Neill took the loss.
Mercer and ETSU will face off in the rubber match Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.
