Conference title at stake for Mercer at Wofford

Mercer will go for its third straight Southern Conference regular season baseball title this weekend as it takes on Wofford in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

The Bears (36-11, 15-3 conference) will clinch the regular-season title outright with a sweep of the Terriers or two wins and a UNC Greensboro loss. Mercer will gain at least a share of the title with a series victory over Wofford.

The teams will play a single game at 4 p.m. on Friday and a doubleheader at 2 p.m. on Sunday. The break will allow 11 Mercer seniors to go through graduation ceremonies Saturday in Macon.

Should Mercer claim the regular-season title, the Bears will become the first Southern Conference team to do so in three straight seasons since Western Carolina won successive titles from 1986 to 1989.

Mercer softball 3, UNC Greensboro 0

The Mercer softball team improved to 2-0 at the Southern Conference Tournament at East Tennessee State, with the fifth-seeded bears scoring early and holding on for victory.

Meghan Rud scored Mercer’s first run in the top of the first, scoring on a fielder’s choice after reaching on a leadoff single. A throwing error plated a run in the second inning, and Quirisa Mauga scored on a sixth-inning double by Meghan Lane.

Megan Bilgri and Stella Preston combined to throw a two-hitter.

Mercer, the No. 5 seed, takes on third-seeded East Tennessee State at 10 a.m. on Friday in a winners’ bracket game.

This story was originally published May 11, 2017 at 8:01 PM with the headline "Conference title at stake for Mercer at Wofford."