Thursday, May 12, 2011

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Sarah Simon delivered a two-out two-RBI single to right field in the bottom of the second inning to lead No. 1 seed Jacksonville to a 4-1 victory over No. 5 Mercer on Thursday afternoon at Cyrill Stadium in the 2011 Atlantic Sun Conference Softball Tournament.

With two outs in the home half of the second, Jacksonville’s Brittany Eppley reached on a fielding error by Mercer first baseman Kassie Bailey. Kayla Ouellet singled to center and Amanda Schmidt drew a walk to load the bases for the Dolphins (41-14). Simon stepped to the plate for Dolphins and connected on a single to right, breaking the scoreless tie as they took a 2-0 lead.

A-Sun Pitcher of the Year Sarah Sigrest (24-5) went the distance allowing just one run on five hits with five strikeouts. Mercer starter Kari Chambers (15-10) was credited with the loss after giving up three hits and two runs (both unearned) with three walks and two strike outs.

---

Read the Atlantic Sun Insider Column: March Win Translates to A-Sun Success for Sigrest

---

Mercer (31-23) was retired in three-consecutive innings (second, third and fourth) but were able to break through in the top of the sixth as the cut the deficit to just one. Heather Strange scored on Randi Rea’s single to left, cutting Jacksonville’s lead to 2-1.

The Dolphins answered right back in bottom of the sixth with a two-run homer off of the bat of First Team All-Atlantic Sun member, Amanda Schmidt. Schmidt’s seventh homer of the season also plated Annike Don. Schmidt reached base in all three plate appearances and tallied two RBI.

With the victory Jacksonville will play Friday at 12:30 p.m. against the winner of No. 2 Lipscomb and No. 3 USC Upstate. Meanwhile, Mercer will be back in action today at 5:30 p.m. as they face the loser of Lipscomb/Upstate in the second elimination game of the A-Sun Tournament.

Follow the Atlantic Sun on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.