March 24, 2005

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The first-place Samford University softball team will continue its five-game Ohio Valley Conference road trip on Friday as the Bulldogs begin a weekend series against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles with a critical doubleheader matchup slated to begin at 1 p.m., Tech Softball Field.

Samford (11-14, 4-1 OVC) heads into Friday's competition in sole possession of first place in the conference standings.

The Bulldogs opened their OVC schedule by sweeping three games from Tennessee State on March 19 and 20, and then earned a 2-0 shutout victory over Jacksonville State on Wednesday. Samford dropped the second game of its doubleheader against JSU, 12-2, at University Field in Jacksonville, Ala.

Tennessee Tech (16-16, 2-1 OVC) enters the weekend tied for second place in the conference standings along with in-state rival Tennessee-Martin. The Golden Eagles opened their OVC season by taking two of three games from Eastern Kentucky, but had a doubleheader against Tennessee State rained out on Tuesday.

TTU has played in a conference-high 32 games this season, but has yet to play a home game at the Tech Softball Field in Cookeville, Tenn.

The Golden Eagles own a 3-3 record in road games this season and possess a 13-13 overall mark in neutral contests. Tennessee Tech opened the 2005 campaign by playing in five-consecutive warm-weather tournaments, including the Mississippi State Tournament and the Speedline Tournament held in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Samford currently trails Tennessee Tech in the all-time series between the teams, 6-13, and the Bulldogs dropped all four games against the Golden Eagles last season.

In the matchups, Tennessee Tech only scored a combined total of five runs, but held the Samford scoreless and earned three 1-0 victories as well as a 2-0 win. The Golden Eagles knocked the Bulldogs out of the OVC Tournament with a 1-0 victory at Hood Field in Richmond, Ky.

Samford owns a 5-1 record this season when they score a run in the first inning.

The Bulldogs also own a 7-3 record when they score first, but when they don't score first, the opposition holds a substantial 11-4 record. Samford owns an unblemished 8-0 record when leading after the fourth inning, but is only 1-10 when trailing after the fourth frame.

The Samford University softball team will attempt to build upon its first-place lead in the OVC standings on Friday as the Bulldogs continue their five-game road trip against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles beginning with a doubleheader matchup starting at 1 p.m., at the Tech Softball Field in Cookeville, Tenn.