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Furman University

Chrissy Fleming
3
Mercer MER 16-39
4
Winner Furman FUR 21-31
Mercer MER
16-39
3
Final
4
Furman FUR
21-31
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Mercer MER 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 3 7 5
Furman FUR 0 4 0 0 0 0 X 4 2 0

W: Tufts, Sierra (10-15) L: H. Pitts (6-15)

Game Recap: Softball | | By: Jordan Caskey

Big Inning Propels Furman Past Mercer In SoCon Softball Championship Opener, 4-3

Paladins Face UNCG At 12:30 P.M. On Thursday

Greensboro, N.C. – Furman plated four runs in the second inning and sophomore Sierra Tufts tossed her 17thcomplete game of the season as the fourth-seeded Paladins topped No. 5 seed Mercer, 4-3, in the opening game of the Southern Conference Softball Championship on Wednesday morning at UNCG Softball Stadium in Greensboro, N.C.
 
The Paladins (21-31) advanced to face No. 1 UNCG on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. Mercer (16-39) dropped into the loser's bracket and will play an opponent to be determined at 8 p.m. on Thursday in an elimination game. All games at the SoCon Tournament will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
After Tufts tossed two scoreless frames, Furman's Emily Bartlett led off the bottom of the second with a single up the middle and Caitlin Goldwait reached safely on a sacrifice attempt and a Mercer throwing error that put runners on the corners. Goldwait got into a run down between first and second and Bartlett scored the game's first run when the Bears' catcher attempted to tag out the Furman senior but was called for obstruction. Goldwait scored when Marina Griffin's squeeze bunt was misplayed and Chrissy Fleming followed with a double into the left field corner to drive in the Paladins' third run. With two outs, a dropped pop up on the infield allowed Fleming to score and up the margin to 4-0.
 
Mercer got on the board in the top of the fourth on Tori Hedgecock's two-out, two-run double to the base of the right field wall. Hedgecock singled to open the seventh inning and scored on Madison Headley's two-out base hit, but Tufts got leadoff hitter Rebeca Laudino to foul out to Fleming down the left field line to secure the Paladin victory.
 
Tufts (10-15), a second team All-SoCon choice, allowed three runs on seven hits over seven innings to improve to 10-15 in the circle. The right-hander recorded five strikeouts with allowing a walk.
 
Hannah Pitts (6-15) absorbed the loss for Mercer despite giving up just two hits and four unearned runs in six innings of work. Pitts fanned three Paladins and did not issue a walk.
 
Headley went 3-for-3 to lead the Mercer offense.
 
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