Mercer University
Missouri State
Mercer Softball Suffers Two Losses In Trojan Warrior Tournament
2/26/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
TROY, Ala. – The Mercer University softball team was defeated 5-1 by Missouri State and 8-3 by Dayton on Friday, Feb. 26, in the opening day of the Trojan Warrior Tournament, hosted by Troy University.
FINAL – Missouri State 5, Mercer 1
HOW IT HAPPENED
Despite scoring the game's first run on an RBI-triple by Taylor Miller in the third inning, Mercer fell victim to Missouri State in the tournament opener. Missouri State used two home runs to scored four of its five runs en route to sealing the victory.
Maxine Rodriguez and Anna O'Neill pitched three innings each, with Rodriguez taking the loss. O'Neill surrendered three hits while striking out three batters in relief.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Mercer's lone run came off the bat of Taylor Miller, who hit an RBI-triple in the third inning to give the Orange and Black an early 1-0 advantage. It was Miller's first extra-base hit of the season, and was one of five combined hits for the Bears against Missouri State.
FINAL – Dayton 8, Mercer 3
HOW IT HAPPENED
Mercer scored three of the game's final four runs, but it wasn't enough as Dayton used two three-run innings to jump to a large lead by end of the fourth inning.
The Bears chipped away at the Flyers' 7-0 lead as a sacrifice fly by Quirisa Mauga scored Natalie Shiver in the bottom of the fourth inning and an error by Dayton's shortstop allowed Taylor Miller to score in the fifth inning. Mercer's final run came in the bottom of the seventh inning as Emma Andrew singled to left field, scoring Megan Lane.
Jill McElderry was left with her third loss of the season in the circle. She was replaced by Anna O'Neill in the fourth inning.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Anna O'Neill gave the Orange and Black a fighting chance in the second half of the game, as she surrendered only one run over 3.1 innings pitched in relief. She scattered three hits over the outing, while offering no walks. O'Neill's ability to keep the Flyers at bay over the final three innings allowed Mercer to chip away at the lead.
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NOTABLES
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Freshman Megan Lane has been a bright spot in the Mercer batting order in this early season. Her two multi-hit games on Friday bumped her team-best batting average to .382. Lane is riding a three-game hitting streak as well for the Bears.
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Taylor Miller hit safely in both games on Friday for Mercer. She has reached base for the Bears in eight of 11 games this season, seven of which have been via a hit. Three of those games have been multi-hit outputs. Her combined 2-for-6 performance on Friday bumped her season batting average up to .297.
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Meghan Rud was 3-for-6 in the leadoff slot for Mercer on Friday, improving her batting average to .314. Her 11 hits and five walks translate to a .400 on-base percentage, good for second on the team behind Kaytlin Haney (.409).
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Anna O'Neill threw 6.1 innings of relief while only surrendering two combined runs to Missouri State and Dayton. She dropped her earned-run average from 5.32 to 4.80. Her appearance against Dayton was the first time all season where she hasn't recorded a strikeout, but still leads the team with 30.
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Maxine Rodriguez's day in the circle was cut short after surrendering four runs to Missouri State, but she proved effective in her first two innings of work. The junior right-hander struck out one batter while holding Missouri State hitless in the two frames.
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Mercer was held scoreless in the first inning of both games Friday. The Bears have scored more runs (9) in the first inning than any other frame this season and are 3-1 when doing so.
RECORD UPDATE
Mercer's two losses on Friday to Missouri State and Dayton leave the Bears 3-8 overall.
UP NEXT
The Bears will continue their weekend play in the Trojan Warrior Tournament against Austin Peay and Missouri State on Saturday, Feb. 27. The two upcoming opponents face one another on Friday. Missouri State is the only team Mercer will face twice in the Troy-hosted tournament.
STAY SOCIAL
Follow @MercerUSoftball on Twitter and Instagram or visit the team's official Facebook page for up-to-date information on the Bears' softball program.
