March 29, 2008

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

RICHMOND, Ky. - The Samford University softball team fell one out short of earning a doubleheader sweep of the Eastern Kentucky Colonels on Saturday in an Ohio Valley Conference series at Gertrude Hood Field. Samford powered its way to an 11-5 victory in game one, but the Colonels hit a two-out, walk-off grand slam to take game two, 7-4.

"I was really pleased with how we played," said Samford head coach Beanie Ketcham. "I thought that our players did a very good job of bouncing back from what happened Wednesday and we nearly swept two games from a really good Eastern Kentucky team. I was very pleased with our hitting and our defense kept us in both of games."

Samford (12-18, 4-6 OVC) exploded for 15 runs on 17 hits Saturday and powered a season-high three home runs in game one. With their series-opening win, the Bulldogs earned their first victory at Eastern Kentucky (17-10, 7-3 OVC) in school history.

Prior to Saturday's doubleheader, Samford was 0-6 all-time when playing on the road against Eastern Kentucky.

The Bulldogs' Amanda Barrs (2-3) picked up the win in the circle and only allowed four earned runs. Freshman Margaret Carter (3-5) came on in relief and earned Samford's lone save of the season. She pitched the final three innings and only gave up two hits.

"I thought that overall our pitching was really good today," Ketcham said. "Eastern Kentucky's hitters demand a lot of respect and we didn't want to give their big hitters anything good to hit. That's why we ended up with so many walks in the game, but we were able to make some huge defensive plays and turn some key double plays."

Offensively, Samford was led by Aaren Fisher, Emily Deaux, Katie England and Kristy Lawrence.

Fisher was 1-for-4 in game one and powered a key three-run homer in the top of the first inning. She finished the contest with a career-high four RBI and ignited the Bulldogs' offensive outburst.

Samford's Emily Deaux homered in the seventh inning and was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. The roundtripper was her third of the 2008 season.

England and Lawrence were both 1-for-3 at the plate and each player tallied a pair of RBI and a run scored. Lawrence, a junior from Sydney, Australia, powered her first Samford home run in the top of the third inning. The blast was hit deep to straightaway center field.

The Bulldogs' top two hitters in the batting order, Jessica Owens and Jeslyn Metcalf, were both 2-for-4 and scored a pair of runs. Owens, who leads the team with a .347 batting average, improved her run total on the season to 18.

After Fisher's deep three-run homer gave Samford a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, Eastern Kentucky bounced back with a pair of runs of its own in the bottom of the frame to make the score 3-2. The Bulldogs then rallied for seven more runs in the next four innings to take a lopsided 10-2 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth inning.

"I thought that Aaren's home run in the first inning gave us a huge lift that lasted throughout the day," said Ketcham. "I think that it definitely helped our confidence and it helped us to realize that we could beat this team. Hitting is contagious and when our players have confidence and are swinging the bats well, we can be a dangerous team."

The Colonels entered the bottom half of the frame in danger of being run-ruled for only the second time this season, but rallied to score three runs to trim Samford's lead to 10-5.

Eastern Kentucky collected 10 hits in the loss and was led at the plate by second baseman Chanze Patterson and shortstop Erin Luther. Patterson, who became the school's all-time stolen base leader in the game, was 3-for-3 with a run scored, while Luther turned in a 3-for-4 outing at the plate and also scored a run.

After Samford's Deaux blasted her solo homer in the top of the seventh inning, the Bulldogs took their decisive 11-5 lead. Eastern Kentucky's Stacye Toups (6-4) was saddled with the loss.

In game two, Samford jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning, but Eastern Kentucky quickly responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 2-1 lead.

The Colonels increased their advantage to 3-1 in the fifth inning when catcher Jena Handley powered a solo home run to left field. Handley, a sophomore from Garden Grove, Calif., went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. Her younger sister, Julie Handley, is a true freshman outfielder at Samford.

In the top of the sixth inning, the Bulldogs exploded for three runs on three hits and took advantage of a Colonel error to take the lead 4-3.

Samford's two-out rally started as England drew and walk and then sophomore Whitney Terry rifled a double into the left center field gap. The Bulldogs' next batter, Amanda Jordan, then towered a double off the wall in right field to even the score at 3-3.

Jordan, Samford's 6-foot shortstop from Apison, Tenn., paced the team's offense in game two with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate. She also scored a pair of runs in the contest.

With two outs and Jordan at second base, the Bulldogs' Harmon sliced a line drive to right field to give Samford its 4-3 advantage. On the play, Jordan scored all the way from second base as Eastern Kentucky's Katie Rolf misplayed the ball in right field.

Rolf, the Colonels' senior from La Mesa, Calif., didn't have to feel sorry for long.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, with two outs and the bases loaded, she came up to bat and sent the first pitch she saw deep over the left field wall. The walk-off grand slam, her first home run of the season, gave Eastern Kentucky a dramatic 7-4 victory.

"Our team needs to realize that if we get in there and fight, then we can play with anybody in this league," Ketcham said. "We can't worry about pitching or injuries, or whatever, but we can score as many runs as possible and that's the sign of a fighter. We are going to maximize our talent to get results and we're working really hard to do that."

The Samford University softball team will conclude its three-game series against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels on Sunday at noon (CDT), at the Gertrude Hood Softball Field in Richmond, Ky.