March 27, 2001

Box Score

SHREVEPORT, La. - Janet Middleton and Michelle Wright each had five hits as Samford ended a ten-game losing streak with a double-header sweep of Centenary College, 9-3 and 5-4, Tuesday afternoon.

Samford (14-27) concluded its eight-game Louisiana trip with a 2-6 record. The Bulldogs got the offense going in the first inning of game one tagging Centenary starter Cathleen Byrne for six hits and four runs before Byrne was relived after 1/3 of an inning. Mindy Shunnarah, Wright, Abi Casillo, Middleton, Angela Bednark, and Jennifer Graham all had hits in the first inning.

The Bulldogs added single runs in the third and fourth innings to take a 6-0 lead. Centenary (10- 30) scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth to draw to 6-3. Samford put the game out of reach with three runs in the sixth inning. Michelle Ashley reached on an infield single, before Wright, Casillo, and Middleton hit back-to-back-to-back doubles.

Brianne Mertens (9-13) went the distance for the Bulldogs giving up three runs on six hits and fanning eight batters. Byrne took the loss for Centenary and fell to 2-5 on the year.

Centenary held a 3-2 lead in game two until the top of the fifth inning when Wright doubled home Ashley from third base and then came around on an RBI-single by Middleton to give the Bulldogs a 4-3 lead. Samford added an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning as Middleton doubled home Wright. The insurance was need as the Ladies scratched across and unearned run in the bottom of the seventh.

Jennifer Morris (2-4) got the win for Samford by pitching four innings giving up three runs on seven hits and striking out four. Mertens came in to pitch three innings and fanned five to record her first save of the season. Cheyenne Daries took the loss and fell to 3-9.

Middleton went 5-7 in the two games with a pair of doubles, a triple, and four RBI. She tied the Samford school record for doubles in a career by hitting her 26th career double. She has 11 this season. Middleton batted .520 (13-25) over the eight-games in Louisiana. She raised her average 67 points on the trip. Wright went 5-8 with four doubles and three RBI. She now has 13 doubles on the season, two shy of the Samford single-season record. Wright batted .417 (10-24) on the trip and raised her average 44 points over the four days.