Mercer University
Furman
Bilgri Leads Softball To 5-2 Extra-Inning Win Over Furman In SoCon Tournament
5/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
GREENSBORO, N.C. – It took nine innings to do it, but the No. 7 Mercer University softball team came away with a thrilling 5-2 win over No. 2 Furman in the opening round of the Southern Conference Tournament at UNCG Softball Stadium on Wednesday, May 11.
The Bears will face the winner of No. 3 Western Carolina and No. 6 Chattanooga in the second round at 3 p.m. on Thursday, May 12.
FINAL – Mercer 5, Furman 2 (9 innings)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Mercer starting pitcher Megan Bilgri brought her best to the SoCon Tournament, tossing a career-high nine innings to outduel Furman's Lindsey Bert and vault the Bears to an upset win over the Paladins. Both pitchers pitched complete nine-inning games, but it was Bilgri who stood tall until the end for her seventh victory of the season. The sophomore scattered eight hits – including only four after four innings – while walking a pair and striking out four.
Locked in a 2-2 tie through a full eight innings of play, Mercer received the jolt it needed when Meghan Rud led off with a triple to left field. She'd score the go-ahead run two at-bats later on a sacrifice fly by Taylor Rodgers. The Bears poured it on after that, as Quirisa Mauga and Shaila Warren singled, only to be drove in by a two-RBI double from Maxine Rodriguez, making it a 5-2 game.
Mercer was inconsistent at best with the bats on Wednesday, as Bert retired 17 Bears in a row at one point from the fourth through eighth innings, but the offense came alive when needed most.
Furman struck first as Bert led off the game with a single and scored on an eventual RBI-double by Candace Johnson. The Bears found the scoreboard in the top of the third when Kaytlin Haney sparked a two-run rally with a single up the middle. Taylor Miller followed her up with a single through the four-hole, giving way to a then-game-tying RBI-single by Rud. A sacrifice fly to center field by Natalie Shiver in the next at-bat scored Miller from third base, giving the Bears a 2-1 lead. Johnson would tie it up with her second RBI of the game in the fourth, coming off of a solo home run to left-center field.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Bilgri had the performance of her college career in the circle, willing her way through nine complete innings for the Bears' upset victory. She tied a season-high with four strikeouts and kept the Paladins off balance all game to help Mercer advance to the second round of the SoCon Tournament winner's bracket.
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MERCER STAT OF THE DAY
Bilgri and Furman are no strangers to one another. The sophomore right-hander tossed 15 innings over three appearances in the three-game regular season series two weeks ago in Macon, Ga. before she bumped that figure to 24 innings with her complete game on Wednesday.
She was 0-2 in the regular season against the Paladins, but earned the win in the biggest matchup of the season.
NOTABLES
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With the extra-inning win, Mercer now leads the all-time series over Furman, 12-7, and snaps a three-game losing streak to the Paladins from earlier this season.
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Although it took nearly nine innings to reach the mark, Mercer scored five runs against Furman and improved to 21-7 when doing so. All but one of the Bears' wins have come when scoring at least five runs.
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Mercer's win is the first for the bottom seed in the opening round of SoCon Tournament play since 2013 when No. 9 Samford defeated No. 8 Elon 8-0 in a single-elimination game.
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The Bears improved to 7-4 in their last three seasons of postseason play, four wins of which have come in the SoCon Tournament. They went 3-2 last season en route to a SoCon Championship appearance.
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Bilgri's nine-inning performance is a season-high for Mercer, surpassing Jill McElderry's eight-inning outing earlier against Miami (Ohio) on Feb. 21, 2016.
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Miller and Shiver both extended their current hitting streaks to 17 and seven games, respectively.
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Rud's RBI in the third was her first in the last 14 games, dating back to the series opener at UNCG on April 9. It came on a single past the Furman shortstop and tied the game 1-1. She was 2-for-4 and picked up her 19th multi-hit game of the season.
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Rodriguez's two-RBI double in the ninth gives her 13 RBIs against SoCon opponents this season.
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Shiver reached 40 RBIs for the first time in her career and is tied for sixth in the SoCon with 40 for the season.
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Shiver also started her 215th career game on Wednesday, tying her for fourth all-time in Mercer history with McKenzie Woody (2011-14).
RECORD UPDATE
Mercer improved to 22-33 overall for the season with its 5-2 victory over Furman on Wednesday. The Bears are now 4-2 in SoCon Tournament play over the past two seasons as well.
UP NEXT
Mercer will take on the winner of No. 3 Western Carolina and No. 6 Chattanooga in the second round of the SoCon Tournament at 3 p.m. on Thursday, May 12 at UNCG Softball Stadium.
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.
