Mercer Trounces Savannah State in Season Opener

- J. Andrew Lockwood -
Senior Editor of The Bear Zone/ Sports Columnist
james.andrew.lockwood@student.mercer.edu

            It was about as one sided as a sporting event can get.  On opening day, Mercer (2-0) sent Savannah State (0-2) back home early, defeating them in the double-header 12-0 and 18-0.  In all areas of the game, Mercer dominated the visiting Tigers, cruising to easy victories in their first two games of the season.  Pitchers Jenni Holtz and Lacey Richardson rang up their first respective wins of the season, allowing just one hit during the two games. 

            While the pitching was completely dominating, the Bears seemed to be equally fine tuned on from the plate, knocking in 30 runs on the afternoon.  Surprisingly, there were no homeruns, but several players had outstanding days from the plate.  While dominating from the circle, Richardson also had the hot bat, going seven-for-eight with five RBI.  CF Stacey Condra was impressive in the first game as well, finishing the game two-for-two with two RBI and a stolen base.  In the second game, it was Jena Ellis’s big first inning hit, a triple to centerfield, that scored two runners. 

            Just about the entire roster saw action between the two contests.  There were plenty of new faces to watch as well, including the starts of freshmen Sara Stukes at shortstop and Kristin Marko behind the plate.  During the second game, head coach Mike Raynor shook up the lineup with freshmen Emi Sherrill at catcher and Jenny Goodman in centerfield.  While the games were convincing, it seems there will continue to be at least an early season battle for the catching duties and time in the outfield with several legitimate athletes that can play in the grass.  

            After big victories against Auburn and Georgia Tech last season, this could be Mercer’s breakout softball year.  “I’m glad that we played well today, we got our first game jitters out of the way,” commented Raynor after the game.  “We were able to work on some fundamentals, and now we’ve got to prepare for our next opponent,” he added on MercerBears.com.  With the jitters out of the way, the Bears look to continue to rip through their non-conference schedule for the next month.  After two years of building, it looks like the recruiting is paying dividends for Raynor.  He’s got the players and depth to now become a legitimate title contender in the A-Sun.