Feb. 11, 2006

Box Score

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Samford University softball team couldn't overcome an early 3-0 first-inning deficit on Saturday as the Bulldogs dropped a 3-1 contest against the undefeated Louisville Cardinals in a weather-shortened FSU Early Bird Tournament.

All four teams were supposed to play a second game on Saturday, but the championship round was canceled due to the inclement weather.

In a game that had its start time delayed by nearly four hours, Samford (0-3) allowed the Cardinals to score three first-inning runs and had a seventh-inning rally fall just short.

The Bulldogs' Shelley Stanley went 2-for-3 in the game and scored the team's lone run in the bottom of the seventh inning. Stanley, a native of Decatur, Ala., finished the two-day competition with a 4-for-7 performance at the plate and was named to the all-tournament team.

Louisville (3-0) swept its competition in the 2006 FSU Early Bird Tournament and had five players named to the all-tournament team, including Most Valuable Player Candi Hicks.

The Cardinals scored three runs on four hits in the top of the first inning. Since then, Samford's pitching held Louisville to three hits in the final six frames.

With the Bulldogs trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Stanley doubled to right field and later scored on a single up the middle by Liz Pearse. A native of Cary, N.C., Pearse finished the game with Samford's only RBI and a 1-for-3 performance at the plate.

The Samford University softball team will next be in action on Wednesday as the Bulldogs host Kennesaw State in a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m., at Bulldog Field.

The games can be heard live via the Internet at either www.samfordsports.com or www.al.com/WVSU.

Louisville (3-0) def. Samford (0-3), 3-1

UL 300 000 0 - 3 7 0
SAM 000 000 1 - 1 4 1

WP: Kassie Stanfill (1-0)
LP: Susanna Meyer (0-2)
Save: None

2006 FSU Early Bird Tournament
All-Tournament Team

Candi Hicks, Louisville - Tournament MVP
Leslie Garland, Louisville
Courtney Moore, Louisville
Kassie Stanfill, Louisville
Lacy Wood, Louisville
Carly Brieske, Florida State
LaShaun Davis, Florida State
Kim Hoffer, Florida State
Natasha Jacob, Florida State
Michelle Snyder, Florida State
Kat Harrell, Nicholls State
Jessica Barksdale, Nicholls State
Shelley Stanley, Samford