Mercer tops Chattanooga in softball
Emma Andrew was 3-for-4 with three RBI and Mercer pounded the ball early in a 9-2 win over Chattanooga in Southern Conference sofbtall Sunday afternoon at Sikes Field.
The win clinched the opening series of league play for the Bears (16-20, 2-1).
Mercer posted three runs in the first inning, three runs in the fourth inning with three more spread across the second and third innings as the Bears never trailed.
Andrew was one of five Bears with multiple hits as Mercer scored all nine runs in the first four innings.
The Mocs' (10-22, 1-2) only runs came in the fifth inning – a solo home run and a sacrifice fly – as Chattanooga left eight runners on base in the game.
Jill McElderry (3-4) was credited with the win after 4- 1/3 innings in the circle, striking out three while walking two. Megan Bilgri was impressive in relief, allowing only two hits in 2- 2/3 innings.
Mercer hosts ETSU for a three-game series starting on Saturday.
Georgia College swept at home
The Georgia College softball team dropped two high-scoring games to Young Harris College Sunday at the Peeler Complex.
The Bobcats were within striking distance in both games, falling 11-7 and 9-5.
The losses put Georgia College at 10-4 in Peach Belt Conference play, good for third in the league standings, and 24-14 overall. Young Harris is 29-7 and 9-5.
The top eight teams advance to the PBC Tournament in Milledgeville April 21-22.
The Bobcats are back in action Saturday at Montevallo.
Wesleyan comeback falls short
Trailing 7-0 to William Peace, the Wesleyan softball team made a strong run at the Pacers in the seventh inning but came up just short, falling to the USA South foe 8-5 on Sunday.
The Pacers took the first game of the doubleheader as well, 8-0.
Junior Tiffani Linville picked up two of Wesleyan's five hits in Game 1. In Game 2, the Wolves trailed 8-1 entering the seventh inning.
Wesleyan travels to Agnes Scott on Wednesday.
Around the state
Georgia starter Chase Adkins struck out a career high eight batters in eight innings of work, but Georgia dropped the rubber match of its first home SEC series, 4-1 to No. 16 Auburn.
The Tigers (20-6, 5-1 SEC) made a fourth-inning two-run homer by shortstop Luke Jarvis stand up behind six scoreless innings from starter Daniel Davis.
Adkins dropped to 3-2.
Georgia (10-15, 1-5) hosts Savannah State on Tuesday. ...
In a game that saw rain, a number of close calls and a strange sequence on a swinging strikeout in the seventh, Georgia Tech fell to Wake Forest 8-4 in the series finale on Sunday afternoon at David F. Couch Ballpark in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The Jackets fall to 13-9 overall and 3-6 in the ACC with the loss, while the Demon Deacons improve to 18-7 overall and 6-3 in league play with the win.
In the bottom half of the seventh, the Demon Deacons added two more runs on a strange sequence, as a throwing error put runners on second and third with two outs. The next Wake hitter struck out swinging and the ball appeared to hit the batter on the back leg. However, the umpire did not call the play dead and the ball scooted back to the backstop, allowing two Wake Forest runners to score and lift its lead to 7-3.
Georgia Tech visits Mercer at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. ...
Georgia State dropped its third straight game at South Alabama, 19-9 Sunday at Eddie Stanky Field.
The Panthers (11-13, 1-5 Sun Belt) had one of their best offensive days of the season and were within 6-5 in the fifth inning and 12-9 in the seventh before South Alabama (15-9, 5-1 Sun Belt) pulled away in the last two innings to win its sixth straight game.
Sophomore catcher Nick Gatewood had three hits and three RBI, both career highs, and Will Kilgore hit a two-run home run, his second of the season.
This story was originally published March 26, 2017 at 9:04 PM with the headline "Mercer tops Chattanooga in softball."