The Bucs took the field in their first home conference game against Mercer. This season, the Bucs are over .500 with 17 wins so far and were 3-0 in conference coming into the game. Mercer also has been successful this season, coming into the series with a 2-1 conference record.
To start the first game the Bucs got off to a hot start in the first inning as Nikki Grupp (Jacksonville, Florida) hit a home run to bring in two runners.
Mercer responded with a run of their own in the fourth inning to bring the Bucs’ lead to 3-1. After a scoreless third inning for both teams, Mercer exploded offensively in the fourth inning.
The Bucs’ defense gave up four runs in the fourth inning and the offense struggled to score in the fifth and sixth innings. Nevertheless, the Bucs defense was able to hold Mercer scoreless in those innings as well.
With one final inning to tie or win, the Bucs needed a strong defensive inning. They did just that by not allowing a run, giving their offense a chance to win the game. Taylor Wright (Erwin, Tennessee) gave the Bucs a chance to win, hitting a solo home run to bring the Bucs’ deficit to 5-4 but it wasn’t enough to secure a win as they remained behind one run.
In game two of the series, the Bucs’ offense struggled again. The Bucs got on the board early in the second inning with a single from Kylie Toler (Bradenton, Florida) that brought in a run.
The Bucs did not score for the remainder of the game. Defensively, they kept Mercer scoreless until the sixth inning in which Mercer took over. In the sixth inning, Mercer scored three runs taking a 2-0 series lead heading into Sunday with an overall series win already secured.
Game three saw didn’t see any more success from the Bucs, only getting two runs on the board and falling 5-2 to Mercer to end the series.
The next stop for the team will be Samford this weekend to continue SoCon play.
