Mercer Splits Series-Opening Twinbill At Western Carolina

Friday, March 29

Cullowhee, N.C.

3 p.m.

Mercer University

14-17, 3-1

Western Carolina

7-18, 0-4

Mercer

Western Carolina

Mercer Splits Series-Opening Twinbill At Western Carolina

3/29/2024 9:25:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Todd Anderson, anderson_t02@mercer.edu

CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Mercer softball team used a trio of home runs to fuel an abbreviated 12-3 victory in the opener, but Western Carolina scored a trio of runs in the later innings of the nightcap, including a walk-off homer in the seventh, to tally a 4-2 win and forge a doubleheader split with the Bears on Friday afternoon at the Catamount Softball Complex.

The game-one victory marked just the second mercy-rule win for the Bears (14-18. 3-2 SoCon) in the 34-game-old series with their league nemesis, and the first run-rule triumph over Western Carolina (8-18, 1-4) since the 2019 campaign. The nightcap result snapped a seven-game losing streak for the Catamounts who have logged six of their eight victories this season in Cullowhee, N.C.

Grace Taylor (6-7) struck out four and scattered four hits across her sixth complete game of the campaign en route to picking up the win in Friday's opener. Fellow sophomore Hannah Pitts (2-5) took a no-hitter into the fifth inning of the nightcap, but still saddled the loss after surrendering four earned runs in 6-2/3 innings pitched. She also struck out six batters.

Junior Tori Hedgecock combined to register a team-high four hits across both games, including a pair of homers in Friday's opener. Avery Barton registered a grand slam in Game 1 as well.

SUMMARY
GAME 1 FINAL	Mercer 12, Western Carolina 3 (5 Innings)
PITCHERS	WP: Grace Taylor (6-7) LP: Tessa Juett (5-9)

GAME 2 FINAL	Western Carolina 4, Mercer 2
PITCHERS	WP: Taylor Norton (3-3) LP: Hannah Pitts (2-4)

RECORDS	Mercer (14-18, 3-2 SoCon); Western Carolina (8-18, 1-4 SoCon)

KEY INNINGS (GAME 1)
TOP 1	Alyssa Woods reached base safely on a bean ball to lead off the afternoon, and Janessa Plummer followed with an infield single to get two Bears aboard. That set the table for Tori Hedgecock who leaned into a 1-and-1 offering from WCU starter Tessa Juett and deposited it over the wall in right field.

KEY INNINGS (GAME 2)
BOT 5	Alyssa Woods drew a leadoff walk, and Tori Hedgecock climbed aboard via a free pass herself two at-bats later to set the table for a bases-clearing double from Avery Barton that gave the Bears the lead for good.
BOT 7	K.J. Ammons singled to start the frame for the hosts, but MU starter Hannah Pitts settled and struck out the next two Catamounts to get closer to escaping any sort of scoring opportunity. Taylor Waitley sent a 2-and-1 offering from Pitts over the left field wall in the next at-bat to provide the final, however.

MU LEADERS (GAME 1)	WCU LEADERS (GAME 1)
Tori Hedgecock 2-3, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R Janessa Plummer 2-2, SAC, RBI, 2 R Avery Barton 1-3, HR, 4 RBI Lillian Wilkerson 2-3, R	Savannah Baldwin 2-3, RBI Tessa Juett 1-2, HR, 2 RBI Lily Bell 1-2, 3B, R Kennedy Stewman 1-2, R

MU LEADERS (GAME 2)	WCU LEADERS (GAME 2)
Tori Hedgecock 2-4, 2 R Avery Barton 1-1, 2 BB Taylor Rogers 1-2	Taylor Waitley 2-2, BB, HR, 2 RBI Natalie Henry 0-1, BB, 2 R Lily Bell 1-2, BB, 2 RBI Taylor Norton 7.0 IP, 6 H, 5 K

UP NEXT
The Bears and Western Carolina will close out their weekend series on Saturday. The weekend rubber match is scheduled for a noon start.

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