March 23, 2010
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The Samford softball team will play host to Murray State on Wednesday for a midweek doubleheader. The Racers are a familiar foe for the Bulldogs as they were both members of the Ohio Valley Conference two years ago, but the two institutions have never faced each other in softball due to Murray State not having a team until this year.
Samford (8-14) comes off a tough week on the road where the Bulldogs lost four games in a row. The Bulldogs started out with a midweek game in Georgia, taking on Kennesaw State on Wednesday after being rained out at Georgia State on Tuesday. Samford dropped its game with the Owls, 1-0, as Stephanie Royall and KSU's Jessica Cross both pitched two-hit games.
The Bulldogs then moved on to Furman for a weekend conference series, dropping all threr meeting with two coming by one run. Although Aaren Fisher got Samford on the board first with a home run in the series opener on Friday, the Paladins came back to put two runs on the board and shut Samford out the rest of the way to finish out the game and win, 2-1.
Then on Saturday, Samford took a 2-0 lead with a walked-in run and a home run by Alex Adams. However, Furman charged back with a two-run homer to tie the game before the winning run scored on a wild pitch. In the second game, four and one-half scoreless innings were played before Furman took a 4-0 lead. The Paladins extended that lead to 5-0 later before Samford mounted a comeback. But the comeback fell a few runs short as the Bulldogs were only able to score two runs in the seventh inning. Furman won, 5-2.
The Bulldogs are led by Robyn Harmon and Alex Adams. The sophomore and redshirt freshman are the only two players hitting above .300. Harmon boasts a team-high .388 batting average and has started all 16 of the games she has played in. She has scored 14 runs and had 19 hits while batting in five run. She also boasts a 2.10 ERA and has struck out 43 batters in 63.1 innings of play.
Adams is hitting .313 and leads the team in slugging with a .597 percentage. She has hit a team-high five home runs so far in her rookie season and batted in 16 runs. She is tied for the lead with Katie England in doubles with four and has scored eight runs. Fisher leads the Bulldogs with eight stolen bases.
Royall (4-3) leads all Bulldogs starters with a 1.88 ERA. She has started seven games and pitched two complete games including one shutout. In 37.1 innings of play, she has struck out 16 batters while giving up just 10 earned runs on 35 hits. She is the only Bulldog pitcher who has not given up a home run this season.
Murray State (5-12) has won three of its last six contests. The Racers will come into Birmingham fresh of a midweek series with Louisiana-Monroe. The Racers dropped the first game on Monday, 5-2, and will take on the Warhawks again on Tuesday. Last weekend, Murray State split a series with Tennessee State before the third game was cancelled due to inclement weather.
The Racers are led by Taylor Wilson and Kaitlyn England although they are a very balanced team when it comes to offensive production. Wilson and England both have recorded seven RBI while Jenna Bradley leads the team with 12 RBI and four home runs. Wilson, who is hitting .324, has posted six runs on 11 hits with two doubles, one triple and two home runs. England boasts a .286 average at the plate with nine runs on 12 hits, three doubles and two home runs.
Kristen Broadway leads the Murray State pitchers with a 4-2 record and a 2.86 ERA. In 44 innings of play, she has struck out 37 batters and given up just 14 earned runs on 38 hits. She has started eight games and pitched two complete games while earning one save.
Wednesday's action between the Bulldogs and the Racers begins with the first game at 3 p.m. CDT. The second game will start approximately 30 after the conclusion of the first game. A full recap and results will be available on www.samfordsports.com upon the completion of the day's action.
