Wednesday, March 20
Macon, Ga.
6 p.m.
Mercer University
10-15
16
vs
4
Georgia State
8-19
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia State | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
| Mercer | 3 | 6 | 1 | 6 | X | 16 | 16 | 1 |
Bears Rout Georgia State To Complete Season Sweep
3/20/2024 9:25:00 PM | Softball
MACON – Visiting Georgia State used an ill-timed error to plate four unearned runs in the top of the first inning, but home-standing Mercer responded by recording its biggest offensive game in more than six years on the way to a 16-4 rout of the Panthers on Wednesday evening at Sikes Field.
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The triumph snapped a four-game skid for the Bears (10-15) who tallied their most runs since a 17-3 victory over Fort Wayne on March 9, 2018, and their most hits since tallying 16 safeties against Chattanooga on April 11, 2021. It was the sixth-straight loss for the Panthers (8-19) who have now dropped five of the last six matchups with the Orange & Black, including a 10-2 setback earlier this season in Atlanta.
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Freshman Grace Roark (2-1) picked up the win in the circle for the hosts after striking out four and scattering four hits across four innings of work. Redshirt sophomore Hannah Pitts struck out a pair of batters in a scoreless fifth inning, but was not awarded a decision.
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Five different Bears registered multiple hits on the night, including sophomore Avery Barton who doubled twice and homered once on a perfect 4-for-4 hitting line. Junior Madi Wicker hit her first homer of the campaign to highlight a perfect 3-for-3 tally.
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The triumph snapped a four-game skid for the Bears (10-15) who tallied their most runs since a 17-3 victory over Fort Wayne on March 9, 2018, and their most hits since tallying 16 safeties against Chattanooga on April 11, 2021. It was the sixth-straight loss for the Panthers (8-19) who have now dropped five of the last six matchups with the Orange & Black, including a 10-2 setback earlier this season in Atlanta.
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Freshman Grace Roark (2-1) picked up the win in the circle for the hosts after striking out four and scattering four hits across four innings of work. Redshirt sophomore Hannah Pitts struck out a pair of batters in a scoreless fifth inning, but was not awarded a decision.
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Five different Bears registered multiple hits on the night, including sophomore Avery Barton who doubled twice and homered once on a perfect 4-for-4 hitting line. Junior Madi Wicker hit her first homer of the campaign to highlight a perfect 3-for-3 tally.
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| GAME SUMMARY | |
| FINAL | Mercer 16, Georgia State 4 |
| PITCHERS | WP: Grace Roark (2-1) LP: Kate Kastelic (1-2) |
| RECORDS | Mercer (10-15); Georgia State (8-19) |
| KEY INNINGS | |
| TOP 1 | Georgia State used a muffed throw, a single and a bean ball to load the bases with its first four at-bats of the evening, then took the lead on Jordan Rayner's 2-out double down the left field line that plated a pair of runs. A 2-run single from Kiki Edwards three pitches later pushed GSU's advantage out to 4-0. |
| BOT 2 | Madi Wicker knotted up the ballgame with a leadoff homer to centerfield, but the Bears piled it on after that. Mercer loaded the bases full of Bears with its next three at-bats, and took the lead for good on Avery Barton's 2-run double off of the wall in left field. The hosts followed with RBI at-bats from Laura Vigna, Megan Loughren and Madi Wicker to take a 9-4 advantage into the third inning. |
| MU LEADERS | GSU LEADERS |
| Avery Barton 4-4, 2 2B, HR, 6 RBI Madi Wicker 3-3, 2B, HR, 3 RBI Alyssa Woods 2-3, BB, 3 R Janessa Plummer 2-3, RBI, 3 R Emma Dorval 2-4, 3 RBI |
Jordan Rayner 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI Kiki Edwards 1-3, 2 RBI Carolyn Deady 1-1, 2 BB, R Â |
| UP NEXT | |
| The Bears will continue a four-game home stand this weekend when they open Southern Conference play against Wofford (10-10, 0-0 SoCon) at Sikes Field. The squads will open up the weekend set with a 2 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, before closing out the weekend with a 1 p.m. contest on Sunday. | |
| STAY CONNECTED | |
| Follow Mercer Softball on Twitter and Instagram and "Like" Mercer Football on Facebook. | |
| SUPPORT THE BEARS | |
| Fans can help support the Mercer athletics department by making a gift to the Mercer Athletic Foundation. To find out more information about the Mercer Athletic Foundation, visit SupportMAF.com or email maf@mercer.edu. | |
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Roark, Grace (2-1)
L: Kastelic, Kate (1-2)
Batting:
2B: Rayner, Jordan 1
RBI: Rayner, Jordan 2 ; Edwards, Kiki 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Middlebrooks, Chloe 1 ; Goodwin, Jaycee 1 ; Deady, Carolyn 1 ; Rayner, Jordan 1
SB: Middlebrooks, Chloe 1 ; Deady, Carolyn 1 ; Schroyer, Ashton 1 ; Nicholson, Payton 1
HBP: Middlebrooks, Chloe 1 ; Goodwin, Jaycee 1 ; Nicholson, Payton 1
Batting:
2B: Barton, Avery 2 ; Vigna, Laura 1 ; Wicker, Madi 1
HR: Barton, Avery 1 ; Wicker, Madi 1
RBI: Plummer, Janessa 1 ; Hedgecock, Tori 1 ; Barton, Avery 6 ; Dorval, Emma 3 ; Vigna, Laura 1 ; Loughren, Megan 1 ; Wicker, Madi 3
SH: Vigna, Laura 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Woods, Alyssa 3 ; Plummer, Janessa 3 ; Hedgecock, Tori 1 ; Barton, Avery 3 ; Dorval, Emma 1 ; Vigna, Laura 1 ; Loughren, Megan 2 ; Wicker, Madi 2
HBP: Plummer, Janessa 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
3
H
4
RBI
6
AB
3
R
2
H
3
RBI
3
AB
3
R
3
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
3
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballRHP/UTL
/ SoftballOF
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