March 14, 2003
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The Samford softball team is off to its best start in school history and the Bulldogs will try to improve on a three-game winning streak as it hosts the third-annual Samford Invitational at Bulldog Field this weekend.
Samford will host Alabama A&M and future Ohio Valley Conference rival Eastern Illinois in the two day double round robin tournament which begins on Saturday at Noon.
Alabama A&M, the defending SWAC Champions, will face Eastern Illinois in the first game of the tournament. Samford and A&M will play at 2 p.m. with Samford and Eastern Illinois at 4 p.m. Sunday's schedule will again feature A&M and EIU in the Noon game. Samford and EIU will play at 2 p.m. and Samford and A&M will conclude the tournament at 4 p.m.
Samford enters the tournament with the best overall record at 10-6. The Bulldogs have 12-1 record in winning the first two Samford Invitationals. This year's field offers intriguing match ups with Alabama A&M coming off a conference championship. A&M comes into the tournament having just split a double header against Birmingham-Southern. The only previous meeting between Samford and A&M came in the 2001 Samford Invitational, a game won by Samford 10-2.
Eastern Illinois has never faced Samford but the teams will get to know each other very well as Samford joins the OVC next season. EIU has a 4-9 overall record while competing in two tough early season tournaments. The Panthers went 3-1 in being crowned co-Champions of the Western Kentucky Tournament last weekend. EIU split a mid week double header at Troy State on Wednesday.
The Samford offense has been what has led the Bulldogs to their best start in school history. As a team, the Bulldogs are batting .332 and have eight players batting .300 or higher. Junior Sarah Godfrey leads the team with a .447 average and seven doubles. Senior Michelle Wright is hitting .391 with a team-high five home runs and 18 RBI and junior Angela Bednark is hitting .388 with a pair of homers and 14 RBI. In the circle, junior Erin Landsburg is 4-2 with a 3.15 ERA. She has 47 strikeouts in 46.2 innings. Freshman Emilee Lewis will see a lot of work this weekend. She is 3-2 and has 24 strikeouts in 27.1 innings.
All games this weekend will be played at Bulldog Field on the Samford campus.
