MACON, Ga. – The Stetson University softball team split its final two games in the Mercer Bears Classic at Skiles Field on Sunday, falling in a walk-off in extra innings in the first game to Iona, 4-3 in eight, but regrouped to register an 8-6 win over the Bears to end its losing streak.
 
For the second straight game against the Gaels, the Hatters offense was sluggish to start as they fell behind by three. However, in the sixth, Evette Morgan slugged her first home run of the season, a three-run shot with two outs, to knot the game at 3-3. The long ball scored Brianna Clary and Danielle Diaz.
 
Iona (4-9), just like it did a day before against the Hatters, would score in its final at-bat to claim the victory, as Hannah Collins, with her second hit of the game, singled home the winning run.
 
The home run was the story in the second game against the host Bears, as each team hit a pair. Marissa Baxter, who hit two against Mercer on Saturday, slammed a three-run shot to cap a four-run second for the Hatters and Lizzie Shubert hit her second of the year, a solo shot in the third, to make it a 5-1 game.
 
Baxter would add an RBI single in the fourth and Kara Saylor scored Shubert with a single in the fifth as the Hatters increased their lead to 7-1. In all, four Hatters had multi-hit games, led by Morgan with three, while Clary, Baxter and Shubert, who also had a double, each had two.
 
Mercer (6-17) mounted a comeback highlighted by two home runs from Kenlie Harvey, a solo home run in the fifth and a three-run shot in the sixth, to pull to within 7-6 entering the final frame.
 
Diaz scored an unearned run in the top of the seventh for an insurance run, and Jaime Tino closed out the game with a perfect seventh to earn her first save of the year for Lauren Klein, who improved to 5-5 with the win.
 
Stetson (10-17) returns home for its next game, as the Hatters will host top 10 Florida on Wednesday evening. First pitch from Patricia Wilson Field is set for 6 p.m.
  About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS (PDF).
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