Mercer University
Oakland
Softball Sweeps Twin Bill In Mercer Bears Classic
3/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer University softball team earned its sixth and seventh consecutive victories by defeating Oakland 8-2 and Seton Hall 8-1 in day two of the Mercer Bears Classic on Saturday, March 19 at Sikes Field. Mercer went 4-0 in the home tournament, defeating the Pirates and Golden Grizzlies twice to improve to 16-16 overall.
FINAL – Mercer 8, Oakland 2
HOW IT HAPPENED
After falling in an early 2-0 hole to Oakland (4-16) through two innings, the Bears clawed back for an eventual win by scoring at least one run in each of the following four innings.
Freshman Shaila Warren scored Mercer's first run in the bottom of the third inning on a throwing error by Oakland's pitcher. The Bears tied the game 2-2 in the following at-bat as freshman Megan Lane singled up the middle to plate sophomore Meghan Rud.
The game-winning run came on a RBI-groundout by Warren in the fourth inning, scoring sophomore Emma Andrew, who reached on an error. Senior Natalie Shiver would go on to add the fireworks in the fifth inning, blasting a three-run home run to center field and solidifying Mercer's lead.
Despite a slow start, junior Anna O'Neill settled in to toss her sixth complete game of the season and earn her fourth win. O'Neill scattered six hits and struck out four batters. She retired 10 of 12 batters from the third to sixth inning and also dropped her earned-run average to 4.02 with the performance.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Mercer's leadoff batter, Rud, had her fingerprints all over the offensive success against Oakland, as she was 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored and one stolen base. A highlight of Rud's game came in the third inning as her bunt single was followed by a steal to give Mercer runners on second and third with no outs. She would go on to score on Lane's RBI-single up the middle.
It was also the sophomore's 11th multi-hit game of the season, helping improve her batting average to .340.
FINAL – Mercer 8, Seton Hall 1
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bears used small ball to defeat the Pirates (14-13), picking up three infield hits – two of which were squeeze bunts – in addition to six walks and four stolen bases.
Mercer took a 3-0 lead in the second inning as Warren singled down the right field line to score Shiver. Warren would then steal second base, followed by back-to-back squeeze bunts by Rud and junior Taylor Miller to plate two more runs.
A sacrifice fly by Warren in the fourth inning scored Andrew from third base. The Bears added three runs in the fifth on back-to-back doubles by Andrew and junior Taylor Rodgers before another RBI-double by freshman Lindsay Boynton in the sixth plated Mercer's eighth run.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Sophomore right-handed pitchers Jill McElderry and Megan Bilgri combined to toss a four-hitter against the Pirates. McElderry earned her third win of the season with 4.2 innings pitched while Bilgri continued her hot streak in the circle with a hitless 2.1 innings and struck out two batters.
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NOTABLES
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The Bears (16-16) are back to .500 for the first time since Feb. 20, when they were 3-3. During their seven-game winning streak, the Black and Orange have scored an average of 7.1 runs per contest.
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Mercer hasn't allowed more than four runs in a contest during their seven-game winning streak. The pitching staff of O'Neill, McElderry, Bilgri and junior Maxine Rodriguez has allowed only 13 runs to opponents during the streak.
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O'Neill's four strikeouts against Oakland set an individual career season-high of 63 punch outs for the junior. She broke her previous season-high of 60, set in 2014, as she struck out the leadoff batter in the fifth inning.
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The Bears improved to 16-2 when scoring at least five runs in a game.
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Warren continued her productivity in the nine-hole for Mercer, going a combined 2-for-5 on Saturday while picking up three RBI, two stolen bases and two runs scored. The freshman is third on the team in hits (26) and stolen bases (5).
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Rud stole one base in each game Saturday and has stolen at least one in three consecutive games. She's stolen eight bases during the Bears' winning streak and trails Southern Conference leader Taylor Miller by only one swipe on the season, 17 to 16.
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Miller extended her current team-best hitting streak to seven games with one hit in each contest on Saturday. Other Bears with hitting streaks include Rud (3), Warren (3), Shiver (2) and sophomore Quirisa Mauga (2).
RECORD UPDATE
Mercer improved its record to 16-16 with its sweep of Oakland and Seton Hall on Saturday.
UP NEXT
Mercer opens SoCon play with a three-game home series against Samford (13-13) on March 25-26 at Sikes Field. The Bears will play the Bulldogs in a doubleheader on Friday, March 25 starting at 3 p.m., followed by the series finale at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 26.
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.
