Mercer Uses Late Rallies To Sweep Western Carolina

Friday, April 18

Macon, Ga.

4 p.m.

Mercer University

24-22, 4-8

Western Carolina

20-25, 4-9

Western Carolina

Mercer

Mercer Uses Late Rallies To Sweep Western Carolina

4/18/2025 11:44:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Todd Anderson, anderson_t02@mercer.edu

MACON – Home-standing Mercer rallied for four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to fuel a 4-2 win in Friday's opener, and then pushed across a run in the bottom of the ninth inning to finish off a series-opening doubleheader sweep of Western Carolina with a 3-2 triumph in the nightcap.

The decisions marked the second-straight Southern Conference series win for the Bears (25-22, 5-8 SoCon) who have captured six of their last seven outings. It was the fifth-and sixth-straight losses for the Catamounts (20-26, 4-10) have now dropped consecutive games in the series with Mercer for the first time since the 2019 campaign.

SUMMARY
GAME 1 FINAL	Mercer 4, Western Carolina 2
PITCHERS	WP: Grace Taylor (2-1) LP: Tessa Juett (8-13)

GAME 2 FINAL	Mercer 3, Western Carolina 2 (9 Innings)
PITCHERS	WP: Hannah Pitts (7-7) LP: Amanda Fulton (9-6)

RECORDS	Records: Mercer 25-22 (5-8 SoCon); Western Carolina 20-26 (4-10 SoCon)

KEY INNINGS (GAME 1)
TOP 6	Western Carolina strung together a pair of 1-out singles and used a stolen base to put a pair of runners in scoring position for Maya McPherson who hit a 2-run double to centerfield to break the scoreless deadlock.
BOT 6	Tori Hedgecock got the Bears on the board with a leadoff homer, while Grace Jones and KiKi Daniels followed with consecutive doubles to put a pair of runners into position. A suicide squeeze bunt by Sietske Drijvers three pitches later leveled the game. Mercer surged ahead on an ensuing double from Hannah Rivers, and then added an insurance score on an ill-timed error by the WCU defense.

KEY INNINGS (GAME 2)
TOP 4	Becka Wonsick opened the fourth with a single to left field, and then used a stolen base to move into scoring position. A groundout in the ensuing at-bat moved the runner to third and set the table for Natalie Henry's sacrifice fly to left field that evened the game.
BOT 9	Hallie Langford legged out a bunt single and moved into scoring position by virtue of her 21^st stolen base of the campaign. Parris Wiggs moved the runner to third on a sacrifice bunt and Grace Jones delivered the game-winner one pitch later on a sacrifice fly to shallow centerfield.

MU LEADERS (GAME 1)	WCU LEADERS (GAME 1)
Tori Hedgecock 1-3, HR Hannah Rivers 1-2, 2B, RBI, R Grace Jones 1-2, BB, 2B Grace Taylor 7.0 IP, 5 H, 4 K	Maya McPherson 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI Lily Bell 2-3, 2B, R Courtney Marks 1-2, BB

MU LEADERS (GAME 2)	WCU LEADERS (GAME 2)
Emma Dorval 2-3, SAC KiKi Daniels 1-2, BB, RBI Laura Vigna 1-2, SAC, RBI Hannah Pitts 4.0 IP, 2 H, 3 K	Courtney Marks 2-4, R Natalie Henry 1-3, SF, RBI Maya McPherson 1-4, RBI

UP NEXT
The Bears will close out their weekend series with Western Carolina on Saturday at Sikes Field. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. and admission is free.

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