April 20, 2008

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University softball team fell short of earning a three-game sweep of the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles on Sunday as the two-time defending Ohio Valley Conference champions slugged their way to a 13-3 victory at Bulldog Field.

"Today was one of those days where it seemed like everything went their (Tennessee Tech's) way," said Samford head coach Beanie Ketcham. "We hit the ball hard several times, but it was right at them and we just weren't sharp on defense. I have to give Tech a lot of credit. They are a championship team and they played very well today."

Despite Sunday's loss, Samford (18-25, 9-12 OVC) won the key weekend series and played its final home game of the season. The Bulldogs concluded their 2008 home schedule with a 7-13 record.

With the win, Tennessee Tech (23-25-1, 7-9 OVC) snapped its brief two-game losing streak and improved its all-time record against Samford to 19-12. The Golden Eagles also upped their 2008 road mark to 4-10.

"Tennessee Tech has a lot of players on its team that know how to win," Ketcham said. "We knew that we weren't going to be able to come out today and just push them over. I have to give Tech's offense a lot of credit, especially because they scored 13 runs."

Tennessee Tech exploded for 13 runs on 14 hits Sunday and recorded its fourth run-rule victory of the 2008 campaign. The game was called following the sixth inning due to the Golden Eagles' 10-run lead.

The run-rule defeat was only Samford's third of the season. On Saturday, the Bulldogs swept the Golden Eagles in a doubleheader with scores of 4-1 and 6-5.

Tennessee Tech's Beth Boden, the 2007 OVC player of the year, went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and seven RBI on Sunday. The Golden Eagles' senior shortstop powered a pair of home runs in the game including a grand slam and a three-run shot. With the tandem of homers, Boden increased her season total to 10.

Samford's offense was paced by senior centerfielder Jeslyn Metcalf and sophomore third baseman Katie England.

Metcalf, who was honored prior to the game on "Senior Day", blasted her first career home run in the bottom of the third inning. A slap-hitter, Metcalf finished 1-for-3 at the plate and tallied a pair of RBI with a run scored. England also homered in the game and earned a 2-for-3 outing.

"Metcalf's home run was exciting," Ketcham said. "I thought that it was great that it happened on `Senior Day' and we always knew that she had some power. As a slap-hitter, she just wants to make contact and today she got a pitch in the wheelhouse and sent it over the right field fence."

The Bulldogs' 2008 senior class consisting of Metcalf, Emily Deaux and Tracey Deaux was honored before Sunday's game. The trio will go down as one of the winningest classes in school history and all three players helped lead Samford to its school-record 31-win season in 2007.

"These seniors have all done an outstanding job for us," said Ketcham. "Tracey has done a great job of anchoring our defense from behind the plate and Emily has really come up with some huge hits. She has really carried our team offensively and Jeslyn is definitely having a career year for us. We're really going to miss these seniors and all of the things they bring to the table."

Samford's Margaret Carter (3-8) made her first start in the circle since being hit in the face with a line drive April 6. She has been fully cleared by the doctors and is expected to add some depth to the Bulldogs' pitching staff.

On Sunday, Carter hurled the first two innings of the game and allowed eight earned runs on eight hits. She gave up three runs in the first inning and another score in the second inning as Tennessee Tech jumped out to an early 4-0 lead.

"I thought that Margaret made some good pitches in the first inning and she was forcing TTU to hit ground balls," Ketcham said. "Defensively, we just didn't make plays and we didn't get off to a good start. I was proud of Margaret, because it's a tough thing to come back from and I'm glad that we were able to get her first game back out of the way."

Samford tacked on a run in the bottom of the second inning with England's deep home run to straightaway center field. The roundtripper was her sixth of the 2008 season.

In the top of the third inning, Tennessee Tech's Boden put the game away with a grand slam to center field. With her seven RBI, she increased her total this season to 29.

The Golden Eagles' Sarah Street (12-14) earned the victory in the circle. She pitched the entire game and only allowed five hits. All three of Samford's runs were scored on homers.

The Samford University softball team will next be in action Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., as the Bulldogs travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for a midweek non-conference matchup against the No. 1-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. The game will be played at the UA Softball Complex.