Sports Information Department – 112 Dods Hall
Phone (716) 673-3100 / Fax (716) 673-3136

CONTACT: Jerry Reilly, Sports Information Director

DATE: Friday, April 2, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Softball

Mercer sets two records in sweep of Behrend

FREDONIA, N.Y. – Heather Mercer (Horseheads) became the all-time Fredonia State hit and home run leader Friday in a doubleheader sweep of Penn State Behrend.

Jennifer Grabowski (West Seneca/West Seneca West) cracked six hits in the doubleheader, played in cold and rain, while Casey Mazurek (Dunkirk) delivered a run-scoring single to secure a 10-9 victory in the first extra inning of the first game.

The Blue Devils (9-5) grabbed an early lead and hung on for a 12-6 victory in the nightcap, a game called because of darkness after 4 1/2 innings.

Mercer led off the first game for the Blue Devils with a long homer to left-center. The hit was the 136th of her four-year college career and tied her with Melanie Yaskulski on the all-time Blue Devil hit list.

Mercer surpassed Yaskulski with a two-run homer, this one just inside the foul pole in left, and added to her total (138) with a single in the nighcap. The two-homer game was Mercer's first as a collegian and gave her seven as a Blue Devil, one more than Joni Adams, the previous all-time leader.

The Blue Devils rallied from a 6-2 deficit and won the first game in the eighth inning when Mazurek stroked a two-out single to score Brianna Kusior (Silver Creek) from third base. It was Mazurek's second hit and second RBI of the game. She also earned the pitching victory (4-2) with 3 2/3 innings of relief duty.

Grabowski and Ashley Sullivan (Derby/Lake Shore) had three hits each in the first game. Grabowski also had three hits in the nightcap, including a three-run triple and a two-run double.

Aimee Hammill (Lewiston/Niagara Catholic), making her first start, pitched into the fifth inning with a 12-1 lead. Behrend mounted a late rally before Sullivan came on to get the final two outs. Hammill improved to 2-0 in her freshman season.

Amanda Waite (Dunkirk) had two hits for the Blue Devils, scheduled to face SUNYIT in a SUNYAC doubleheader Saturday afternoon at the Fredonia State field.

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