Mercer University
Alabama St.
Bears Down Alabama St. in Early Week Double-Header
3/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer University softball team extends their winning streak to seven games after downing Alabama State in double-header action on Tuesday night. The Bears defeated the Lady Hornets 15-2 in the first game and 11-2 in the second game to move to 22-13 on the year.
Final – Mercer 15, Alabama St. 2
In the first game of the day the Bears took a few innings to get warmed up but scored all the runs necessary for the run rule in just two innings. Kirsten Stevens started the game, throwing three innings, allowing five hits and one run. The Bears would bring freshman pitcher Megan Bilgri in for two innings of relief to close the game. Bilgri allowed two hits and one run, with two strikeouts in route to her second carrier win for the Bears.
Mercer's offense was paced by Riley Carter and Caroline Taylor, each with three and four hits respectively. The Bears scored 15 runs on 17 hits and 14 RBIs. Both teams would go scoreless through the first two and a half innings until Mercer broke the silence in the bottom of the third inning. Carter scored the first run of the game on a throwing error by the Hornets pitcher, followed by Quirisa Mauga's two RBI single which scored Rachael Hugghins and Taylor giving Mercer the 3-0 lead heading into the fourth inning.
Alabama St. would score one run on a three hit top of the fourth to put their first run on the board. The Bears exploded at the plate in the bottom half of the inning pushing across 12 runs on 10 hits to go up 15-1. Taylor Miller, Meghan Rud, and Carter would all score to open the inning, but it was Taylor's three run blast to left center that would really open up the inning.
After a Hornets pitching change, the Bears would load the bases setting up a Miller RBI single. Rud would also add a RBI single keeping the bases loaded for a Carter RBI walk. Natalie Shiver added a sac-fly before Taylor picked up her fourth RBI of the game to close all scoring for Mercer.
Alabama St. added one run on two hits in the top of the fifth but could not generate the offense needed to get back in the game, falling to Mercer 15-2 in game one.
Final – Mercer 11, Alabama St. 2
Anna O'Neill picked up her fifth win of the year as she threw her fifth complete game of the season. Threw six innings, O'Neill allowed eight hits, two runs, and struck out three batters.
Mercer would get on the board first, scoring two runs in the bottom of the second inning. Taylor opened the inning up with her second home run of the day. Emma Andrew picked up her first RBI of the day driving in R. Hugghins giving Mercer the 2-0 lead after two innings. Alabama St. answered with a run of their own in the top of the third scoring off of a two hit inning.
R. Hugghins added a RBI single to score Rud in the bottom half of the inning to keep the lead at two. The Bears picked up their fourth score of the game in the fourth as Miller scored on an error. The Hornets added their second and final run of the game in the top of the sixth with help from a three hit inning to close the gap at 4-2.
Mercer figured out how to get the bats going again late in the sixth to take control of the game scoring 11 points to end the game in the sixth. Miller added her lone RBI of the game in the sixth to get the Bears going. Carter kept her six game hitting streak alive with a two run RBI in her final at bat of the night. The Bears night would be capped off by Caroline Taylor's walk-off home run. Taylor would drive in the final three runs of the game with a bomb to left center field. The home run marked her third of the day, and gave Mercer the 11-2 victory.
Mercer will be back in action on Saturday, when the Bears will host the Savannah St. Tigers in double-header action beginning at 1:00 p.m. EST. Mercer will be honoring our veterans and active duty military on Military Appreciation Day. All veterans and active duty military personnel will get free admission to this weekend's games at Sikes Field.
Stay tuned to MercerBears.com for live stats and boxscores and be sure to follow Mercer softball on social media (Twitter / Facebook / Instagram) to keep up with all things Mercer Softball.
