The Lady Bucs returned home for a four-game stay. Looking to stop an eight-game losing streak, ETSU faced off against the Mercer Bears in a key Atlantic Sun Conference series, sweeping them with 5-4 and 5-2 wins. “It was a huge sweep,” said head coach Andrea Mangrum, “especially for our seniors. We are focusing on them.”ETSU started strong against the Bears when Lucy Schneider hit a pop ball to center field with a Lady Buc on second. It looked to be an easy out but a dropped ball allowed Katy Jett to get in for an 1-0 lead in the first inning.

Mercer didn’t go away and in the top of the fifth after putting two players on base, Lilli Luke powered a ball over the fence for a three-run home run. The inning wasn’t over for the Lady Bucs as a series of base hits drove in another Mercer player 4-1 after five innings.

ETSU came roaring back in the bottom of the sixth with three runs off three doubles in a row by Katy Jett, Lucy Schneider and Trisha Massenzo, tying the game at four-all.

Mercer was unable to get any runs in the top of the seventh giving ETSU an opportunity to win the game. Whitley Hensley started the inning with a single and was replaced with pinch runner Tara Hartnett. A steal and a sacrifice bat put Hartnett on third and the winning run only feet from home plate.

Cheniece Cason did the rest with a long fly ball that was caught by Mercer but they couldn’t throw Hartnett out at home in time for a 5-4 victory.

“This victory was really important,” Cason said. “We are trying to make the conference tournament.”

The Lady Bucs came out swinging in the second game and scored two runs in the first inning, one coming off a Katy Jett blast to the outfield that drove in Cason and the other from a long pop fly by Massenzo that was caught out but still drove Jett in for a 2-0 lead after the first inning.

The second inning saw runs by both teams with a single run home run by Kristin Marko of Mercer and with the Lady Bucs when Katie Henderson scored off a base hit by Amy Campbell, 3-1 ETSU. In the fourth inning ETSU put up another run with a single home run by Henderson, 4-1. One inning later in the bottom of the fifth, a double by Massenzo drove in Jett for a commanding 5-1 ETSU lead. Mercer put the last point on the board with another single run home run by Kristin but the lead was too much for Mercer and the Bears fell to ETSU, 5-2.

“We are taking it one pitch at a time,” Mangrum said. “We are trying to get the girls to keep it simple.

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