Bears Take Two from Wesleyan on Opening Night

Tuesday, February 16

Macon, Ga.

4 p.m.

Mercer University

1-0

Wesleyan

0-3

Wesleyan

Mercer

Photo by: Mitch Robinson

Bears Take Two from Wesleyan on Opening Night

2/16/2021 10:06:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Danielle Castleberry recorded a team-high three hits on opening day

By: Stephen Waldman

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer softball team suited up for its first game in more than 11 months and picked up a pair of wins against Wesleyan College, 6-5 and 6-0, in the battle for Macon on Tuesday evening at Sikes Field.

Danielle Castleberry paced Mercer's offense with three hits and a pair of doubles on opening day, while Diamond Williams and Sophie Sumner provided the power with each sophomore hitting a home run. A total of five Bears recorded multiple hits on the day as Elisa Rosado, Adele Braun, Rachel Baker and Sumner join Castleberry with two hits apiece. Allie Jones carried over her aggressiveness on the base paths from last season as she was a perfect 3-for-3 on stolen bases.

In the circle, newcomers Ashlyn Donner and Madi Joice allowed just two hits without issuing a walk in the nightcap as the combined for the shutout. Joice posted a team-high six strikeouts in the game, while Amber Byrd fanned four Foxes in game one.

Game One: Mercer 6, Wesleyan 5
The Bears navigated a bases loaded situation in the top of the first inning before going on the offensive in the home half. Micayla Rood led off the season with a four-pitch walk before stealing second to move into scoring position. The Buford, Ga., native would eventually come around to score the first run of the season and give Mercer the early lead.

Wesleyan responded in the next inning when Savannah Pollock hit a two-run homer to put the visitors up, 2-1. Lauran Allbritton added a solo shot in the fourth inning to add an insurance run for the Wolves.

Baker recorded Mercer's first hit of the game to lead off the fourth with a single up the middle before advancing to second base on a wild pitch. Bree Comer was up next and won an eight-pitch at-bat by drawing a walk to put runners on first and second. That set the table for freshman Annie Potter, who roped a two-run double to left center field and tied the game at three-all.

The visitors quickly regained their advantage, however, as an RBI double by Madison Powell handed Wesleyan a 4-3 lead before Powell scored on a defensive miscue later in the inning. Not to be outdone, the Bears posted a two-spot in the bottom of the frame to knot things up once again thanks to a pair of runs from Castleberry and Jones.

Riley Hickok settled into the game in her second inning of work and held Wesleyan off the board in the sixth. The Black and Orange took full advantage of their opportunity and took the lead for the first time since the first inning. The rally started with a pair of one-out base hits by Rosado and Castleberry. Baker followed two batters later and slashed the first pitch she saw through the left side and into the outfield, allowing Rosado to score the go-ahead run. That would be all the help Hickok and the Bears' defense would need as they shut the door in the seventh to seal the victory.

Game Two: Mercer 6, Wesleyan 0
Donner burst onto the scene for the Bears as she set down the first three Wolves in order to start the game. The New Ulm, Minn., native went on to retire the first four batters she faced before giving up a harmless one-out single in the second. Donner regrouped in a big way as she did not allow any of the final eight hitters she faced to reach base.

Mercer took the lead in the bottom of the second that began with a Braun single. After she advanced to second on a wild pitch, Williams annihilated the 2-0 offering over the center field fence and came close to hitting the tennis courts at the LeRoy Peddy Tennis Center across Black Field. The Grovetown, Ga., native's first long ball of the season put the Bears ahead, 2-0, before Atira McGowan added a run later in the inning. McGowan, who pinch ran for Helm after she earned a walk, advanced to second on a Sumner single through the left side and stole third to move 60 feet from home.

The Bears added to their lead in the fourth frame when Sumner barreled up a 3-1 pitch and blasted it over the wall in left center for her first collegiate home run. Sumner's blast plated two for the home side as its lead grew to 5-0.

Joice entered the circle for Mercer to start the fifth and picked up where Donner left off. The Tahlequah, Okla., native struck out the first batter she faced and added her second punch out to end her first collegiate inning. Wesleyan earned its first hit since the second inning with a leadoff single by Tihana Zupanic in the sixth, but an unassisted double play by Kenlie Harvey negated the threat and allowed Joice to cruise through the rest of the game.

Harvey capped the scoring for Mercer in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI double down the line in right to plate Madison Headley who hustled all the way from first to score the sixth and final run for the Bears.

Notables
» This was the first-ever meeting between Mercer and Wesleyan.
» Danielle Castleberry recorded her 130th career base hit.
» Diamond Williams and Sophie Sumner blasted their first collegiate home runs.
» Kenlie Harvey legged out her 10th career double.
» Allie Jones increased her streak to 21 consecutive stolen bases without being caught.
» Jones tallied her 110th career base hit.
» Micayla Rood scored her 85th career run.
» Riley Hickok earned her first collegiate win.
» Ashlyn Donner posted her first win as a member of the Bears.
» Madi Joice recorded Mercer's first save since May 5, 2019, when Lynn Gardner picked up the save in game two of the doubleheader at Furman.
» Kylie Helm documented the seventh pinch hit of her career and is now 7-for-15 coming off the bench.
» Adele Braun and Annie Potter made their collegiate debuts in the starting lineup for the Bears.
» Both Braun and Potter reached base in their first two collegiate plate appearances.
» Potter notched her first career hit with a two-run double.
» Alyssa Woods and Atira McGowan played their first collegiate games.
» McGowan scored a run and was a perfect 2-for-2 on stolen bases in her debut.
» Madison Headley tallied her first hit and scored two runs in her first two games in a Mercer uniform.

Up Next
The Bears are back in action this weekend as they head to Alabama for the Troy Invitational. The Bears open with a single game against the host Trojans on Friday at 6 p.m. before playing a doubleheader against Austin Peay at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday. Mercer closes out the tournament against Troy on Sunday for a 2 p.m. first pitch.

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