After winning five of six games to round out the month of February, softball played .500 ball with a 4-4 record in their following eight games. Mercer began the month with four games at the University of Georgia tournament. Their contest scheduled against Cleveland State was cancelled due to rain.
Mercer 1, Minnesota 3
The Bears found themselves in a pitcher’s duel against the then 10-3 Minnesota Golden Gophers. Freshman Jessica Holsinger has solid outing but was on the short end of the score due to limited offense. Down 2-0 for the majority of the game, the Bears had their best chance to do damage in the sixth before lining into a double play with the bases loaded.
Mercer 9, Ohio 6
With their winning streak coming to an end against the Golden Gophers in the UGA Tournament opener, the Bears were looking to get back on track against the 6-6 Ohio squad. Up 1-0 and again 2-1 late in the game, DeFeo’s bunch couldn’t deliver the knockout blow as the Bobcats scored four runs in the bottom half of the sixth to take a 5-2 lead. The Bears wouldn’t go quietly as they plated home seven runs in the top half of the inning to steal back the victory.
Mercer 14, Rutgers 6
The Bears used a similar formula in Saturday’s match with Rutgers as they trailed 6-1 entering the bottom of the fourth. Mercer would fittingly string together a series of hits to bring home nine runners. Eight different players batted in a run for the Bears in the contest. With the win, the Bears are an even 9-9 and at .500 for the first time this year. McKenzie Woody recorded her conference-leading 30th hit in the game.
Mercer 0, #7 Georgia 2
Facing against No. 7 Georgia, the Bears pitched one of their most impressive games of the season. Unfortunately for the Bears, the 18-2 Bulldogs piled up nine strikeouts and only surrendered three hits. The host UGA squad put together only four hits and two runs in the match. Kerri Nidiffer allowed both runs and all four hits in her dominant 5.2 innings from the circle.
Presbyterian 0, Mercer 12
In their long-awaited home opener, the Bears cruised to a 12-0 drubbing against the visiting Presbyterian squad. Mercer posted six runs in both the first and fourth innings to end the game after five innings. Krista Kennedy had three RBIs in the game. Jessica Holsinger continued her dominance allowing just one hit in the five-inning shutout win.
Presbyterian 9, Mercer 0
The Blue Hose flipped the script on the Bears with a shutout of their own in the second game of the doubleheader. With 11 hits and the help of four Mercer errors on the field, the South Carolina team piled on a total of nine runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to end the game after five. Pitcher Leslie Hensley gave up just two hits in her five-inning shutout.
Mercer 3, Georgia State 2
After trailing 2-0 entering the second inning, pitcher Jessica Holsinger and the Bears settled into a grove with single runs in the second, third and fifth to sneak away with the one-run win. Holsinger recorded her sixth complete game of the season (6-1) against the 18-6 in-state rival.
Mercer 1, Georgia State 2
In a game that saw sophomore McKenzie Woody extend her hitting streak to 12, the Bears defense failed to support their pitching staff with four errors. With the score tied 1-1 in the seventh, the sloppy game would fittingly end with a Georgia State runner advancing to the plate on a wild pitch.
After their recent stretch of 4-4 to begin the month of March, the Mercer softball squad find themselves perched a game below .500 at 11-12. The team will play 10 more games before beginning conference play against S.C. Upstate on March 30.
Holsinger, Woody helping softball close gap to .500
