Softball to Compete in Rafter Memorial Tournament

Friday, March 9

Kennesaw, Ga.

12 P.M.

Mercer University

Fort Wayne

Photo by: Dannie Walls Photography

Softball to Compete in Rafter Memorial Tournament

3/8/2018 5:07:00 PM | Softball

Tournament Central

Bears will take on Fort Wayne, Belmont and Kennesaw State

By: David Fox

MACON, Ga. – Mercer will compete in its final nonconference road tournament of the season, taking part in the Rafter Memorial Tournament hosted by Kennesaw State.

The Bears will begin the tournament tomorrow with back-to-back games against Fort Wayne (12 p.m.) and Belmont (2:30 p.m.). Mercer will then play two games on Saturday against Belmont (10 a.m.) and Fort Wayne at 3 p.m. The Orange & Black will close the Rafter Memorial Tournament with a bout against the host squad, Kennesaw State, on Sunday at 3 p.m.

TOURNAMENT OUTLOOK
Date: Friday, March 9 – Sunday, March 11
Location: Kennesaw, Ga. | Bailey Park
Teams (2018 Records): Mercer (15-6), Fort Wayne (8-13), Belmont (12-3), Kennesaw State (9-8)
Tournament Central: ksuowls.com/livestats
Twitter Updates: @MercerUSoftball

Closing In
Meghan Rud keeps etching her name further into the Mercer record books. The senior outfielder currently has 147 career runs, tied for second all-time. Rud trails only McKenzie Woody for career runs in Mercer history (165). Rud recently passed Jamie Madruga for the third-most hits in program history with 222, needing 49 to pass Taylor Miller for second on the list.

Fantastic Freshmen
Laurenne Sanchez and Allie Jones are pacing the squad in batting average. Sanchez, a freshman second baseman, is batting .355 (22-of-62) with a team-high seven doubles and has recorded three RBIs thus far. Jones, a freshman outfielder, is batting .333 (13-of-39) with seven runs batted in and two doubles.

Running with the Mastodons
Fort Wayne enters the tournament with an 8-13 overall record, dropping four out of its last six games. Most recently, the Mastodons dropped a 4-2 decision to Jacksonville State on Wednesday evening. Fort Wayne is led in batting by Maria Palmegiani with a .258 batting average on 17-of-66 from the plate. Morganne Denny is also batting .258 (16-of-62) with one double, one triple, two long balls and seven RBIs. Bailey Benefiel has proven to be the top pitcher for the Mastodons with a 6-3 overall record and an ERA of 1.82. Benefiel has punched out 53 batters on the season heading into the weekend.

Mercer is 2-3 all-time against Fort Wayne, splitting the two-game meeting last season in Macon, Ga. The Bears claimed a 9-1 victory last season over Fort Wayne, followed by a 4-3 loss to the Mastodons the next day.

Battling Belmont
The Bruins are 12-3 on the season, winners of five consecutive games. Belmont has won 11 of its last 12 games heading into the tournament. On Wednesday, the Bruins defeated Chattanooga by the final score of 3-0 in Chattanooga, Tenn. Taylor Hargrove (.435) and Bailey Sims (.404) are the Bruins' duo batting over .400 for the season. Belmont has belted six home runs on the season, while also yielding just one. Lexi Rouse (3-0) leads the team in earned run average with an ERA of 0.91, while Brooklin Lee (1.04) leads the team in wins with a 7-1 record.

Mercer and Belmont have competed 31 times with the Bears holding a 19-12 advantage over the former conference foe. Despite the advantage, the Bears have dropped four consecutive games in the series, including a 5-0 and 13-12 defeat at the hands of Belmont last season in Macon, Ga.

Keeping up with Kennesaw
The host squad is 9-8 on the campaign as we enter the Rafter Memorial Tournament. The Owls are winners of three consecutive games and five of their last seven. Most recently, Kennesaw State upended UAB in a Wednesday doubleheader, 4-2, 11-3. Olivia Tamewitz is pacing the squad with a .456 batting average (26-of-57), while Patricia Awald is hitting .432 with 19 hits on the season. Awald also leads the team in long balls (3) and runs batted in (16). Abby Deane posts the best ERA of 1.83 with an overall record of 2-1. Meanwhile, Abigail Green leads the team in wins (3), but ranks last in ERA (4.38).

The Owls have had the Bears number over the years, leading 21-11 in the all-time series. However that record is not reflective as of late, as Mercer has won four of the last five outings against Kennesaw State. The competitors have not squared off since Mercer defeated the Owls, 5-4, in Nashville, Tenn., on May 7, 2014.

Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Softball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerUSoftball (Twitter), /MercerSoftball (Facebook) and @MercerUSoftball (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.