MACON, Ga. (March 16, 2018) – Rutgers softball (13-13) began the Bear Classic at Mercer with a pair of losses, falling to Bucknell (8-13) by a score of 5-1 and the host Bears (17-9) by a count of 6-3 on Friday in the Peach State.
 
Junior shortstop Jess Hughes was 3-for-6 on the day with two walks, hitting in both games to extend her team-best hitting streak to seven straight, and is now hitting .375 over her last five games (18-for-48). Senior first baseman Rebecca Hall and senior catcher Sierra Maddox each hit home runs against Mercer to mark the Scarlet Knights' first game this season with multiple long balls.
 
Senior third baseman Meaghan Wells and sophomore left fielder Hailey Hoklotubbe also hit in both ends of the Friday doubleheader.
 
MADDOX & HALL HOMERS NOT ENOUGH IN NIGHTCAP AGAINST MERCER
In a game of long balls, Mercer struck first with two runs on some small ball in the first inning on an RBI fielder's choice and subsequent error. Maddox mashed the first of four solo home runs in this game in the top of the second inning, making Mercer pay for dropping a foul ball off the bat of Maddox a few pitches prior. It was Maddox's third home run of the season and RU trailed 2-1.
 
The Bears answered immediately with a round-tripper of their own to regain a two-run lead, and added one more with a hit by pitch with the bases loaded to go ahead 4-1.
 
Hughes cut into the deficit with a two-out RBI single with the bases loaded in the fifth, but a potential second run was cut down on a play at the plate to end the frame with Rutgers trailing 4-2. Hall's homer came in the sixth inning, a line drive over the right field fence for her fourth home run of the year, and RU was behind by one.
 
The comeback stopped there as Mercer again had a home run answer for Hall in the sixth, and tacked on a sixth run before heading into the seventh frame. There, Hall came to the plate as the tying run with two Scarlet Knights on base, but grounded out sharply to the pitcher to end the game.
 
EARLY DEFICIT TOO MUCH AGAINST BUCKNELL
A first inning home run and two more in the second proved to be enough for the Bison in Rutgers' Bear Classic opener. Wells went 2-for-3 with the lone RBI in the setback, while Hughes and Hall extended hitting streaks to six and five games, respectively.
 
Following up her 12-inning relief victory on Wednesday, junior Whitney Jones was back in the circle and took the loss with four earned runs, eight hits and two walks over five innings of work. She struck out three and dropped her record to 6-5.
 
Rutgers got on the board in the top of the sixth inning when back-to-back walks to start the inning set Wells up for an RBI opportunity following freshman right fielder Alexis Silinonte's sacrifice bunt. Wells got it done with a run-scoring groundout to cut the Bison lead to 5-1, but that's all they would get.
 
KNIGHT NOTES

• Rutgers' two home runs against Mercer marked the first game with multiple homers since hitting three against Seton Hall on April 5, 2017.
• Maddox's home run was the 21^st of her career, which ties her for fourth on the all-time list at Rutgers with Sarah Kalka (2006-09).
• Hall's jack was the 26^th of her tenure, which still ranks third all-time, and extended her hit streak to six straight.
• Bucknell evens the all-time series to 1-1. Mercer cuts Rutgers' lead in the all-time series to 4-2.
• Hughes extends her team-high hitting streak to seven straight games. She is now hitting .375 over her last 13 games.
• Wells produced her third multi-hit performance of the season against Bucknell, while Hughes got multiple hits in a game for the sixth time opposite Mercer.
• Rutgers turned another double play, a 4-4-3 job by freshman Myah Moy against Bucknell to give the Scarlet Knights 23 in 26 games.

 
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding Rutgers softball, follow the program on Twitter (@RUSoftball) and Instagram (@ru_softball). The team is also on Facebook (facebook.com/RutgersSB).