Feb. 5, 2009
Final Stats
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The Samford University softball team grabbed its first win of the season Thursday afternoon as it rallied back to defeat Mississippi Valley State, 8-7, at Bulldog Field. The Bulldogs scored five runs in the first inning to start off the game which was the first game to be played by any NCAA institution this season.
"The great thing about today was that we played together and kept battling back," Samford head coach Beanie Ketcham said. "I think that's one of the biggest things we can take away from tonight."
Samford (1-0) scored the opening run of the game in the first inning as freshman Amy Gonzalez reached on an error and stole second while senior Jessica Owens was at the plate. Owens walked and sophomore Aaren Fisher singled to bring Gonzalez home and advanced to second on the throw while Owens went to third. Two more runs were scored when junior Katie England grabbed a base hit, driving in Fisher and Owens.
Later on in the inning, after Samford had loaded the bases once more, senior Kristy Lawrence singled to center field to bring in juniors Whitney Terry and Amanda Barrs.
Samford held Mississippi Valley State (0-1) scoreless until the top of the third inning when Rashundra Brass scored on a wild pitch. The Devilettes then tacked on five more runs in the top of the fourth inning to take a 6-5 lead.
The Bulldogs tied the score at six at the bottom of the fourth inning when Fisher brought Gonzalez in on a sacrifice fly to right field. In the fifth inning, Brass homered to put the Devilettes up, 7-6, but Samford would hold MVSU scoreless for the rest of the game. Samford scored its final two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning as Gonzalez doubled to bring two runs in.
Barrs started in the circle for the Bulldogs but it was Fisher who would walk away with the win. Barrs pitched three full innings before handing the ball over to sophomore Kayla Burris for an inning. Fisher took over at the top of the fifth inning and faced 12 batters, tallying three strikeouts and only giving up one run.
"Aaren (Fisher) is not even on our pitching staff and she's only been throwing for the last week, really," Ketcham said. "So she came in and gave us a different look and really picked us up. She really gave us a boost today and we really appreciate that."
Gonzalez saw her first career collegiate start and drove in two runs on three hits and stole two bases. Lawrence had 11 putouts while splitting her time between left field and first base. She also drove in two runs on one hit and reached base on balls once. England also had two RBI on one hit.
Samford will be on the road this weekend in its first tournament appearance of the season. The Bulldogs will participate in the Southern Miss Invitational and begin play at 2 p.m. on Saturday as they take on Central Arkansas. Samford will then meet up with host team Southern Miss at 7 p.m., to round out play on Saturday. The Bulldogs have the first spot on Sunday morning with a 10 a.m. match-up with Western Kentucky. They will then take on the University of Arkansas at 12:30 p.m. before heading back home to Birmingham.
All games in the Southern Miss Invitational will be played at Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg, Miss. Live stats will be available for all games and fans can access that by going to www.samfordsports.com or www.southernmiss.com. A full recap and results will be available upon the completion of each game.
