Friday, February 6
Macon, Ga.
3 p.m.
Mercer University
1-0
16
vs
14
Evansville
1-1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
R
H
E
Evansville
0
1
1
8
0
3
0
1
14
10
2
Mercer
5
1
0
4
2
0
1
3
16
16
2
Bears Slug Their Way To Perfect Friday At Heart Of Georgia Classic
2/6/2026 9:16:00 PM | Softball
MACON – Mercer pounded out a combined 28 hits, including 15 of the extra-base variety (9 HR), and scored 27 times on the way to posting victories over both Evansville and North Carolina A&T on opening-day action at the Heart of Georgia Classic.
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The Bears (2-0) rallied from a 4-run deficit in the fourth inning and used a walk-off homer from sophomore Isabel Fernandez to outlast Evansville (1-1) in a slugfest, and then tacked up a 7-run first inning on the way to an abbreviated 11-2 win over North Carolina A&T (1-1).
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It was a successful debut for head coach Chris Kuhlmeyer who took over the reins of the defending Southern Conference champions in June after coaching UMBC for seven seasons. Kuhlmeyer is just the third skipper in the 40-year history of the MU program to post a win in his debut with the Orange & Black, and the first to accomplish that feat since Stephanie DeFeo in 2016.
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The Bears (2-0) rallied from a 4-run deficit in the fourth inning and used a walk-off homer from sophomore Isabel Fernandez to outlast Evansville (1-1) in a slugfest, and then tacked up a 7-run first inning on the way to an abbreviated 11-2 win over North Carolina A&T (1-1).
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It was a successful debut for head coach Chris Kuhlmeyer who took over the reins of the defending Southern Conference champions in June after coaching UMBC for seven seasons. Kuhlmeyer is just the third skipper in the 40-year history of the MU program to post a win in his debut with the Orange & Black, and the first to accomplish that feat since Stephanie DeFeo in 2016.
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| SUMMARY | |
| GAME 1 FINAL | Mercer 16, Evansville 14 (8 Innings) |
| PITCHERS | WP: Grace McKillop (1-0) LP: Elle Jarrett (0-1) |
| GAME 2 FINAL | Mercer 11, North Carolina A&T 2 (5 Innings) |
| PITCHERS | WP: Grace Roark (2-0) LP: Devin Long (0-1) |
| RECORDS | Records: Mercer 2-0; Evansville 1-1; North Carolina A&T 1-1 |
| KEY INNINGS (VS. EVANSVILLE) | |
| TOP 6 | Evansville used a RBI single from Morgan Adams, as well as a costly fielding error, to score a pair of game-tying runs, then forged ahead for the second time in the contest on another costly error. |
| BOT 7 | Avery Barton hit a leadoff homer to left field to knot the score up again and send the game into extra frames. |
| BOT 8 | With the international tiebreaker rule in effect, the Bears scoffed in the face of a 14-13 deficit, putting two runners aboard with one out showing that set the table for a 3-run homer from Isabel Fernandez. |
| KEY INNINGS (VS. NORTH CAROLINA A&T) | |
| BOT 1 | The Bears sent 11 batters to the plate in the home half of the first inning, scoring seven times on as many hits to take control early. Avery Barton hit a leadoff dinger to get things started, and then capped the big inning with a 2-out, bases-clearing double. |
| MU LEADERS (GAME 1) | UE LEADERS (GAME 1) |
| Isabel Fernandez 3-5, 2B, HR, 5 RBI Olivia Lenzen 2-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI Grace Jones 3-4, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI Daniella Monaco 3-5, 2B, 3 R |
Morgan Adams 2-5, HR, 4 RBI Brooke Voss 2-5, 3B, 3 RBI Jess Willsey 3-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R Eliza Piggott 2-3, 2B, HR, 4 R |
| MU LEADERS (GAME 2) | NCAT LEADERS (GAME 2) |
| Avery Barton 3-3, 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI Jessie Taylor 2-2, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R Rachel Sysum 2-2, 2 RBI Grace Roark 5.0 IP, 2 R, 6 K |
Destiny Sims 2-3 Ayanna Mears 1-3, RBI Taniyah Thomas 1-2, R Â |
| UP NEXT | |
| The Bears will continue play at the Heart of Georgia Classic on Saturday at Sikes Field. Mercer is scheduled for a rematch with Evansville at 3 p.m. before doing battle with Maine (0-2) at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at the gate. | |
| STAY CONNECTED | |
| Follow Mercer Softball on Twitter and Instagram and "Like" Mercer Softball 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: McKillop, Grace (1-0)
L: E. Jarrett (0-1)
Batting:
2B: E. Piggott 1
3B: B. Voss 1
HR: J. Willsey 1 ; M. Adams 1 ; E. Piggott 1
RBI: J. Willsey 2 ; M. Adams 4 ; E. Piggott 1 ; B. Voss 3 ; E. McDonald 1
SH: S. Kalonihea 1
Base Running:
RUNS: T. Howe 1 ; J. Willsey 2 ; M. Wilkins 1 ; A. Leonard 1 ; M. Adams 2 ; E. Piggott 4 ; S. Kalonihea 1 ; B. Voss 1 ; E. McDonald 1
HBP: E. Piggott 1
Batting:
2B: Monaco, Daniella 1 ; Jones, Grace 1 ; Fernandez, Isabel 1
HR: Barton, Avery 1 ; Jones, Grace 2 ; Lenzen, Olivia 2 ; Fernandez, Isabel 1
RBI: Barton, Avery 1 ; Jones, Grace 3 ; Lenzen, Olivia 4 ; Sysum, Rachel 1 ; Loughren, Megan 1 ; Fernandez, Isabel 5
SF: Sysum, Rachel 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Barton, Avery 1 ; Monaco, Daniella 3 ; Jones, Grace 3 ; Lenzen, Olivia 2 ; Sysum, Rachel 2 ; Ullman, Ashlyn 3 ; Loughren, Megan 1 ; Fernandez, Isabel 1
SB: Loughren, Megan 1
HBP: Loughren, Megan 1
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
3
H
3
RBI
0
p/1b
AB
4
R
3
H
3
RBI
3
AB
5
R
1
H
3
RBI
5
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
4
Players Mentioned
INF
/ SoftballUTL
/ SoftballRHP/INF
/ SoftballC
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RHP
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RHP
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INF
/ Softball
INF
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