Mercer Takes Series Opener on Senior Day

Saturday, May 1

Macon, Ga.

1 p.m.

Mercer University

0, 0

UNCG

0, 0

UNCG

Mercer

Photo by: Jen Jones

5/1/2021 7:04:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

The Bears honored seniors Danielle Castleberry, Allie Jones, Bree Comer, Micayla Rood, Amber Byrd and Sydney Tucker before the game

By: Stephen Waldman

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer softball team opened its senior day series with a 2-1 victory over UNCG at Sikes Field on Saturday afternoon.

Prior to the game, the Bears honored seniors Amber Byrd, Micayla Rood, Bree Comer, Allie Jones, Danielle Castleberry and Sydney Tucker with a senior day ceremony.

Jones led the squad with three hits on the day while legging out a double and driving in two RBI, while Comer added a double of her own on the day. Rood slashed a single to left in game two, and Castleberry recorded an RBI on a sac fly. Byrd earned the start in the circle for game two and struck out the second batter of the game. Tucker was penciled into the starting lineup for the series opener, making her first appearance of the season.

Catcher Tori Ash belted her first home run of the season to open the scoring in game one, while Madison Headley added a pair of hits on the day. Sophomore Elisa Rosado was active on the base paths today as she stole a pair of bases while scoring two runs. Annie Potter added a hit in the night cap as well.

In the circle, Donner picked up her team-leading ninth win of the season while going the distance for the eighth time. The New Ulm, Minn., native scattered six hits in the game, allowing just one run in the contest.

Game One: Mercer 2, UNCG 1

Donner and the Mercer defense were working hard from the first pitch of the game as they worked around a couple of threatening situations in the early innings. The Bears held UNCG off the scoreboard through the first two innings while stranding four Spartans on base, including three in scoring position.

The visitors thought they took the lead in the top of the third when Kayleigh Willis hit the ball over the fence in straightaway center field, but she failed to check in with the umpire to re-enter the game and was ruled out after a challenge from the Mercer dugout to erase the two runs.

Ash made the Spartans pay in the home half of the inning as she tagged Morgan Scott for just her eighth home run in 146.1 innings on the year. The Cottondale, Ala., native's one-out home run sailed over the wall in left center field to give the Bears a 1-0 lead. Rood came up next and reached on a throwing error by Scott before being sacrificed over to second. Jones plated her fellow senior with a single up the middle to add an insurance run for the home squad.

Donner settled into the game after she was pitching with a lead and posted her first 1-2-3 inning in the fourth, setting down UNCG in 12 pitches. The Spartans brought themselves within one in the following frame after loading the bases with no outs. A defensive miscue allowed the runner from third to score, but a heads-up play by Castleberry caught Delaney Cumbie being too greedy and trying to score from second. The redshirt senior second baseman fired a perfect strike home to Ash who applied the tag to prevent the tying run from touching home plate. The Bears' pitcher buckled down at that point, getting the next two hitters to pop out and fly out to get out of the jam.

The Mercer right-hander needed just seven pitches to retire the side in order in the sixth inning before UNCG attempted to mount a comeback in the final frame. Makenna Mattijs led off the seventh with a single up the middle, but she was erased in the next at-bat. Cumbie hit a one-hopper toward third that Adele Braun handled with ease and fired to Castleberry at second to start the 5-4-3 double play. The Spartans managed to get a few more base runners but were unable to push across the game-tying run as Mercer claimed the series opener, 2-1.

Game Two: UNCG 11, Mercer 3 (5 Inn.)

The Bears scored first in the second game by taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning. After Byrd shut down the UNCG offense in the top of the first, Rood led off the game with a four-pitch walk. Rosado reached on a fielder's choice and stole second before advancing to third on a single by Jones. With runners on the corners, Jones took off and successfully stole second. The Spartans threw the ball all the way through and allowed the speedy Rosado to scamper home to score the first run of the night cap.

UNCG tied the game in the top of the second on a leadoff home run by Maycin Brown before a four-run third gave the visitors a 5-1 lead. Mercer answered in the bottom of the third when Rood led off with a single to left center before Rosado scored from first on a Jones double two batters later. A fielder's choice allowed Jones to advance to third before cutting the deficit to 5-3 on a Castleberry sac fly.

The visitors took advantage of two three-run homers by Willis over the next two innings to pull away and win game two to force the split.

Notables
» Prior to the game, Mercer held a senior day ceremony to honor Amber Byrd, Micayla Rood, Bree Comer, Allie Jones, Danielle Castleberry and Sydney Tucker.
» Mercer halted UNCG's eight-game winning streak by winning the series opener.
» The Bears snapped a four-game losing skid against UNCG and earned their first home win over the Spartans since April 8, 2017.
» Ash hit her third collegiate home run and first since 2019.
» Byrd tallied her 79th strikeout in a Mercer uniform.
» Rood scored the 108th run of her career, tying Erin Jalbert for seventh on Mercer's all-time list.
» Comer recorded her fourth double of the season and sixth of her career.
» Jones posted her ninth multi-hit game of the season and 38th of her career.
» Jones earned her 27th career double to tie for ninth in program history.
» Castleberry drove in her team-leading 24th RBI of the season.
» Tucker was penciled into the starting lineup in the series opener as she made her season debut.

Up Next
The Bears will wrap up their final home series of the 2021 campaign on Sunday against UNCG with irst pitch is slated for 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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.