Saturday, March 20
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
12 p.m. (ET)
Mercer University
11-10
15
vs
3
Western Illinois
8-9
1
2
3
4
5
R
H
E
Western Illinois
3
0
0
0
0
3
8
3
Mercer
2
2
6
5
X
15
12
0
Photo by: Mitch Robinson
Bears Pick Up Pair of Run-Rule Victories at MTSU
3/20/2021 10:52:00 PM | Softball
Rosado tallied six hits, four RBI, four runs scored and two doubles
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Mercer softball team scored 25 runs on the first day of the MTSU Softball Tournament en route to a pair of run-rule victories over the host Blue Raiders and Western Illinois on Saturday.
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The Bears opened the day with a 15-3 win in five innings over Western Illinois before taking down Middle Tennessee State in six innings, 10-2. Mercer scored in eight of the 10 innings on the day, posting multiple runs each time.
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Elisa Rosado was electric from the leadoff position for the Bears, recording a team-best .750 average on the day by going 6-for-8 with two doubles, four RBI and four runs scored. Danielle Castleberry followed closely behind with five hits on the day with two doubles, two runs scored and a team-high five RBI. Micayla Rood scored six runs to lead the squad to go along with four hits, three RBI, two walks and two stolen bases. Diamond Williams provided the power for the Bears as two of her three hits went for extra bases with a double and a home run.
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In the circle, Ashlyn Donner and Amber Byrd picked up their third wins of the year for Mercer. Donner collected her second complete game effort, while Byrd collected her team-leading 32nd strikeout of the year.
Game One: Mercer 15, Western Illinois 3 (5 Inn.)
The Bears fell in an early hole as a three-run home run by Savannah Rodriguez spotted WIU three runs in the top of the first inning. Mercer answered with two runs of its own in the home half of the opening frame that started with back-to-back walks by Rood and Castleberry. Kenlie Harvey came up two batters later and laced a double to left center that scored a pair.
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Mercer took the lead in the following inning as the designated home team loaded the bases with a pair of hits by Bree Comer and Annie Potter before Sophie Sumner reached on an error. Rosado slapped a single up the middle that scored pinch runner Atira McGowan and Potter to give the Black and Orange a one-run advantage.
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The bats really came to life in the third inning as Mercer used a six-run inning to take a seven-run lead, 10-3. Allie Jones led off by pulling a hot shot to first and reached on an error. Diamond Williams and Potter recorded singles to load the bases. Sumner was next up and drew a two-out walk to plate Jones for Mercer's fifth run of the game. Rosado tallied another two-run single to make it a 7-3 game before Rood earned a free pass to reload the bases. Castleberry cleared the bases with a three-run double to right field that scored Sumner, Rosado and Rood and extended the Bears' run total into double digits.
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Mercer's offense was not done there as it added five more runs the following inning. Harvey worked a full count into a walk to lead off the fourth inning before Williams blasted her second home run of the season over the center field wall to make it a 12-3 game. Comer was next up and drew a walk before advancing to third on a pair of ground outs. Rosado bunted for her third hit of the game and stole second to put two runners in scoring position for Rood. The Buford, Ga., native came through with an RBI single to center and ended up plating Rosado as well after a throwing error by the WIU defense. She scored five pitches later as Castleberry lined a single up the middle to cap the scoring for Mercer.
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Western Illinois managed two more hits in the top of the fifth, but the Fighting Leathernecks were held scoreless as Mercer claimed its largest win of the season thus far.
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Game Two: Mercer 10, Middle Tennessee State 2 (6 Inn.)
The Bears' offensive success carried over into the second game of the day as the visiting squad used four consecutive hits to open the game with a 3-0 lead. Rosado shot a single the other way before Rood reached on a bunt. Castleberry scored Rosado before Jones plated Rood and Castleberry with back-to-back doubles to put Mercer ahead early. MTSU scratched one across in the home half of the first but left the bases loaded.
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Mercer took full advantage of their opportunities in the second inning as Potter roped the first pitch of the frame down the line in left for a double. After the Blue Raiders managed to retire the next two hitters, Potter crossed the plate on a single to center by Rood to push Mercer's lead back to three at 4-1. Castleberry followed with a single of her own before the duo moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Jones walked to load the bases and another wild pitch allowed Rood to score the Bears' fifth run of the contest. Harvey walked to reload the bases for Williams who nearly blew the game wide open, but her attempted grand slam fell short and resulted in an inning-ending fly out to right.
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MTSU strung together a pair of hits in the third inning as the home team was able to score its second run of the game thanks to a two-out double by Gracie Kirby.
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The Bears once again responded after the Blue Raiders scored a run as a three-run fourth started with Rosado reaching third on a double and a throwing error. Rood squeezed her in on a drag bunt that she was able to beat out for a base hit. She stole a pair of bases and scored on a Harvey walk when the Mercer third-baseman never stopped at first and continued on to second base. Williams followed by hooking a ball down the line in right as she picked up a double to trade places with Harvey.
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Middle Tennessee State appeared to have something brewing in the fourth inning when Summer Burgess reached on a fielding miscue with one out. She was erased by Tori Ash, however, as the Cottondale, Ala., native fired an absolute seed to second to retire the would-be base stealer. Byrd finished off the inning by striking out Kelci Hill to send the Bears back on offense.
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A Rosado two-out double was the only hit in the fifth inning that saw Mercer held without a run for just the second inning all day. The Bears found a way to reach the eight-run threshold in the top of the sixth as Castleberry led off with an infield single. Mercer would up with two runners in scoring position with two outs as Harvey and Williams executed a double steal to perfection. Comer came through with a two-run single up the middle to set Mercer up to end the game early in the bottom of the frame.
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Joice, who entered the game in relief in the fifth inning, issued only a two-out walk as the Bears hung on for their second run-rule victory of the day.
Notables
» Mercer posted its third and fourth run-rule wins of the season.
» The Bears improved to 3-2 in neutral site games while picking up their first road win of the year.
» Rosado collected her team-leading 25th hit of the season.
» The Plano, Texas native tallied her 50th career base hit.
» Rosado posted her seventh double and 10th extra-base hit of the year.
» Castleberry earned the 150th base hit of her career.
» Castleberry legged out her fifth and sixth doubles of the season, marking three consecutive years with at least five two-baggers.
» Castleberry drove in her team-leading 12th RBI of the season.
» Rood scored a team-high six runs on the day, bringing her career total to 99.
» Rood documented her team-leading eighth multi-hit game of the season.
» Williams slugged her second home run of the season, tying Sumner for the team lead.
» The Grovetown, Ga., native recorded her 10th base hit of the year, seven of which have gone for extra bases.
» Of Williams' 20 hits in her career, 12 of them have been extra-base hits.
» Potter earned the second multi-hit game of her career.
» Harvey posted the 50th base hit of her career.
» Jones tallied the 125th base hit of her career with her 25th double as a Bear.
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Up Next
The Bears close out play at MTSU with two more games against Western Illinois (11 a.m. ET) and Middle Tennessee State (4 p.m. ET).
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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.
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The Bears opened the day with a 15-3 win in five innings over Western Illinois before taking down Middle Tennessee State in six innings, 10-2. Mercer scored in eight of the 10 innings on the day, posting multiple runs each time.
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Elisa Rosado was electric from the leadoff position for the Bears, recording a team-best .750 average on the day by going 6-for-8 with two doubles, four RBI and four runs scored. Danielle Castleberry followed closely behind with five hits on the day with two doubles, two runs scored and a team-high five RBI. Micayla Rood scored six runs to lead the squad to go along with four hits, three RBI, two walks and two stolen bases. Diamond Williams provided the power for the Bears as two of her three hits went for extra bases with a double and a home run.
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In the circle, Ashlyn Donner and Amber Byrd picked up their third wins of the year for Mercer. Donner collected her second complete game effort, while Byrd collected her team-leading 32nd strikeout of the year.
Game One: Mercer 15, Western Illinois 3 (5 Inn.)
The Bears fell in an early hole as a three-run home run by Savannah Rodriguez spotted WIU three runs in the top of the first inning. Mercer answered with two runs of its own in the home half of the opening frame that started with back-to-back walks by Rood and Castleberry. Kenlie Harvey came up two batters later and laced a double to left center that scored a pair.
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Mercer took the lead in the following inning as the designated home team loaded the bases with a pair of hits by Bree Comer and Annie Potter before Sophie Sumner reached on an error. Rosado slapped a single up the middle that scored pinch runner Atira McGowan and Potter to give the Black and Orange a one-run advantage.
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The bats really came to life in the third inning as Mercer used a six-run inning to take a seven-run lead, 10-3. Allie Jones led off by pulling a hot shot to first and reached on an error. Diamond Williams and Potter recorded singles to load the bases. Sumner was next up and drew a two-out walk to plate Jones for Mercer's fifth run of the game. Rosado tallied another two-run single to make it a 7-3 game before Rood earned a free pass to reload the bases. Castleberry cleared the bases with a three-run double to right field that scored Sumner, Rosado and Rood and extended the Bears' run total into double digits.
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Mercer's offense was not done there as it added five more runs the following inning. Harvey worked a full count into a walk to lead off the fourth inning before Williams blasted her second home run of the season over the center field wall to make it a 12-3 game. Comer was next up and drew a walk before advancing to third on a pair of ground outs. Rosado bunted for her third hit of the game and stole second to put two runners in scoring position for Rood. The Buford, Ga., native came through with an RBI single to center and ended up plating Rosado as well after a throwing error by the WIU defense. She scored five pitches later as Castleberry lined a single up the middle to cap the scoring for Mercer.
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Western Illinois managed two more hits in the top of the fifth, but the Fighting Leathernecks were held scoreless as Mercer claimed its largest win of the season thus far.
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Game Two: Mercer 10, Middle Tennessee State 2 (6 Inn.)
The Bears' offensive success carried over into the second game of the day as the visiting squad used four consecutive hits to open the game with a 3-0 lead. Rosado shot a single the other way before Rood reached on a bunt. Castleberry scored Rosado before Jones plated Rood and Castleberry with back-to-back doubles to put Mercer ahead early. MTSU scratched one across in the home half of the first but left the bases loaded.
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Mercer took full advantage of their opportunities in the second inning as Potter roped the first pitch of the frame down the line in left for a double. After the Blue Raiders managed to retire the next two hitters, Potter crossed the plate on a single to center by Rood to push Mercer's lead back to three at 4-1. Castleberry followed with a single of her own before the duo moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Jones walked to load the bases and another wild pitch allowed Rood to score the Bears' fifth run of the contest. Harvey walked to reload the bases for Williams who nearly blew the game wide open, but her attempted grand slam fell short and resulted in an inning-ending fly out to right.
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MTSU strung together a pair of hits in the third inning as the home team was able to score its second run of the game thanks to a two-out double by Gracie Kirby.
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The Bears once again responded after the Blue Raiders scored a run as a three-run fourth started with Rosado reaching third on a double and a throwing error. Rood squeezed her in on a drag bunt that she was able to beat out for a base hit. She stole a pair of bases and scored on a Harvey walk when the Mercer third-baseman never stopped at first and continued on to second base. Williams followed by hooking a ball down the line in right as she picked up a double to trade places with Harvey.
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Middle Tennessee State appeared to have something brewing in the fourth inning when Summer Burgess reached on a fielding miscue with one out. She was erased by Tori Ash, however, as the Cottondale, Ala., native fired an absolute seed to second to retire the would-be base stealer. Byrd finished off the inning by striking out Kelci Hill to send the Bears back on offense.
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A Rosado two-out double was the only hit in the fifth inning that saw Mercer held without a run for just the second inning all day. The Bears found a way to reach the eight-run threshold in the top of the sixth as Castleberry led off with an infield single. Mercer would up with two runners in scoring position with two outs as Harvey and Williams executed a double steal to perfection. Comer came through with a two-run single up the middle to set Mercer up to end the game early in the bottom of the frame.
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Joice, who entered the game in relief in the fifth inning, issued only a two-out walk as the Bears hung on for their second run-rule victory of the day.
Notables
» Mercer posted its third and fourth run-rule wins of the season.
» The Bears improved to 3-2 in neutral site games while picking up their first road win of the year.
» Rosado collected her team-leading 25th hit of the season.
» The Plano, Texas native tallied her 50th career base hit.
» Rosado posted her seventh double and 10th extra-base hit of the year.
» Castleberry earned the 150th base hit of her career.
» Castleberry legged out her fifth and sixth doubles of the season, marking three consecutive years with at least five two-baggers.
» Castleberry drove in her team-leading 12th RBI of the season.
» Rood scored a team-high six runs on the day, bringing her career total to 99.
» Rood documented her team-leading eighth multi-hit game of the season.
» Williams slugged her second home run of the season, tying Sumner for the team lead.
» The Grovetown, Ga., native recorded her 10th base hit of the year, seven of which have gone for extra bases.
» Of Williams' 20 hits in her career, 12 of them have been extra-base hits.
» Potter earned the second multi-hit game of her career.
» Harvey posted the 50th base hit of her career.
» Jones tallied the 125th base hit of her career with her 25th double as a Bear.
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Up Next
The Bears close out play at MTSU with two more games against Western Illinois (11 a.m. ET) and Middle Tennessee State (4 p.m. ET).
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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.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Donner, Ashlyn (3-3)
L: RODRIGUEZ, S (3-3)
Batting:
HR: RODRIGUEZ, S 1
RBI: RODRIGUEZ, S 3
SH: GRACIA, A. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: HOLLINGS, S. 1 ; FOOTE, P. 1 ; RODRIGUEZ, S 1
HBP: ALVAREZ, B. 1 ; MARCHESCHI 1
Batting:
2B: Castleberry, Danielle 1 ; Harvey, Kenlie 1
HR: Williams, Diamond 1
RBI: Rosado, Elisa 4 ; Rood, Micayla 1 ; Castleberry, Danielle 4 ; Harvey, Kenlie 2 ; Williams, Diamond 2 ; Sumner, Sophie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rosado, Elisa 2 ; Rood, Micayla 3 ; Castleberry, Danielle 1 ; Jones, Allie 1 ; Harvey, Kenlie 1 ; Williams, Diamond 2 ; Comer, Bree 1 ; McGowan, Atira 1 ; Potter, Annie 2 ; Sumner, Sophie 1
SB: Rosado, Elisa 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
2
H
3
RBI
4
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
4
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
P
/ SoftballINF/OF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
C
/ SoftballUTIL
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