Mercer Splits Friday Action At Spring Break Challenge

Friday, March 7

Jacksonville, Fla.

2 p.m.

Mercer University

12-10

Jacksonville

12-10

Mercer

Jacksonville

Mercer Splits Friday Action At Spring Break Challenge

3/7/2025 8:40:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Todd Anderson, anderson_t02@mercer.edu

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tori Hedgecock and Sietske Drijvers hit back-to-back solo homers to lead Mercer to a 7-4 victory in the early game, but North Florida put together a pair of multi-run innings in the nightcap to hand the Bears an 8-3 loss and a Friday split at the JU-hosted Spring Break Challenge.

Mercer (12-11) moved to 5-2 in neutral site contests this season with the win over the Dolphins (12-10), while the setback on Thursday evening marked the third-straight series win for the Ospreys (19-8) in the 19-year-old series with MU.

SUMMARY
GAME 1 FINAL	Mercer 7, Jacksonville 4
PITCHERS	WP: Gabby Ellis (3-1) LP: Hailey Strunk (0-2) Save: Hannah Pitts (3)

GAME 2 FINAL	North Florida 8, Mercer 3
PITCHERS	WP: Kylah Berry (2-0) LP: Grace Roark (3-3)

RECORDS	Records: Mercer 12-11 (0-0 SoCon); Jacksonville 12-10 (0-0 ASUN); North Florida 19-8 (0-0 ASUN)

KEY INNINGS (VS. JACKSONVILLE)
TOP 1	Tori Hedgecock broke a 3-3 tie when she leaned into a 2-and-2 offering from Hailey Strunk and deposited the ball over the wall in left field. Sietske Drijvers followed with a solo job of her own two pitches later.
TOP 3	The Bears led off the frame with three-straight singles to load the bases, then added a pair of insurance runs on Tori Hedgecock's double to centerfield.

KEY INNINGS (VS. NORTH FLORIDA)
BOT 2	The Ospreys loaded the bases with their first three at-bats and knotted the score up on a wild pitch three pitches later. A fielder's choice RBI brought the go-ahead run across the plate two at-bats later, and an ill-timed fielding error later in the frame brought another run scurrying across.

MU LEADERS (GAME 1)	JU LEADERS (GAME 1)
Tori Hedgecock 3-5, 2B, HR, 4 RBI Hallie Langford 2-3, SF, 3 R Sietske Drijvers 1-2, BB, SF, HR, 2 RBI Hannah Pitts 3.0 IP, ER, 2 K	Gabby Baylog 2-3, RBI, 2 R Jazz Jones 1-3, 2B, R Madison Bratek 1-4, R Averi Harcus 1-3, RBI

MU LEADERS (GAME 2)	UNF LEADERS (GAME 2)
Hallie Langford 2-4, 2 R Parris Wiggs 2-4, RBI Tori Hedgecock 1-2, SF, 2 RBI Grace Jones 1-2, 2 BB	Grace Shaw-Rockey 3-4, 2B, 2 R Mackenzie Woods 2-3, 2B, RBI, 2 R Logan Turner 2-2, RBI Kylah Berry 3.1 IP, 0 R, 4 K

UP NEXT
The Bears will continue action at the Jacksonville U-hosted Spring Break Challenge with a pair of games on Saturday. Mercer will open Day 3 action at the tournament with an 11:30 a.m. rematch against St. John's (15-8-1) before taking on North Florida again at 7 p.m.

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