Mercer University
Samford
Softball Falls To Samford In SoCon Semifinal, Awaits Next Opponent
5/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Mercer University softball team's Southern Conference Tournament championship chances took a hit on Friday afternoon, as it fell to No. 1 Samford, 2-0, in the winner's bracket semifinal game at UNCG Softball Stadium.
Mercer will take on the winner of No. 2 Furman and No. 6 Chattanooga at 8 p.m. Friday in the loser's bracket semifinal, with a championship game berth on the line. The Bears have defeated the Paladins and Mocs already this tournament.
FINAL – Samford 2, Mercer 0
HOW IT HAPPENED
After recording 18 hits in their first two SoCon Tournament wins, the Bears were silenced by SoCon Pitcher of the Year Mollie Hanson's one-hitter, spoiling another great outing in the circle by Megan Bilgri.
Hanson, coming off of a no-hitter against UNCG on Thursday, May 12, needed only one out to make it two in a row, but Taylor Rodgers broke up the bid with a single to left-center with two-outs. The single wouldn't flip the script though, as Hanson would retire Quirisa Mauga in the following at-bat to seal the Bulldogs victory. Mercer had two baserunners all game, as Shaila Warren reached base in the fifth inning when she was hit by a pitch.
Bilgri tossed her third complete game of the tournament and was highly effective, despite taking the loss. Samford's two runs came on one swing – a two-run home run by Abby Sweeney in the second inning following a leadoff walk by Caitlin Bice.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Bilgri showed no signs of fatigue against the Bulldogs, despite entering the game having thrown all 16 innings of SoCon Tournament play for Mercer. That mark extended to 23 innings after going toe-to-toe with Hanson on Friday, but the Bears' bats couldn't do enough to compliment her outing. Other than the home run, Bilgri commanded the zone and scattered four singles throughout the contest while walking only one batter.
NOTABLES
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Samford extended its lead in the all-time series against Mercer, 33-22-1.
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The Bears found a way back to the 2015 SoCon Tournament championship after taking a loss in the winner's bracket semifinal. They lost to Chattanooga, 7-6, in the semifinal before eliminating Furman in a 2-0 victory to face the Mocs a second time.
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Although she took the loss, Bilgri lowered her opponent batting average to .212 (21-for-99) for the SoCon Tournament, allowing only five hits to Samford.
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Rodgers' single in the seventh was her second hit of the tournament.
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Taylor Miller went 0-for-2 against Samford, marking the first time all season the junior has gone hitless in back-to-back games. She was 0-for-2 against Chattanooga on Thursday as well. She only needs three hits to reach 80 for the season – she'd be the first Bear to ever reach the mark twice in a career.
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Natalie Shiver's season-best eight-game hitting streak was snapped with a 0-for-3 outing.
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The Bears are now 8-5 in their last three trips to the postseason, including a 5-3 mark in two seasons of SoCon Tournament play.
RECORD UPDATE
Mercer dropped to 23-34 overall and 2-1 in the SoCon Tournament. The loss snapped a two-game winning streak.
UP NEXT
Mercer awaits the winner of an elimination game between No. 2 Furman and No. 6 Chattanooga. The Bears will take on either the Paladins or Mocs in the loser's bracket semifinal game at 8 p.m. Friday at UNCG Softball Stadium.
The Bears already own wins over both teams this postseason, having defeated Furman 5-2 in nine innings on Wednesday and Chattanooga 7-4 on Thursday. With a win in the loser's bracket semifinal, Mercer can advance to a third straight league championship appearance on Saturday, May 14.
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.
