May 9, 2010

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- A three-run home run by Samford's junior shortstop Amanda Jordan gave the Bulldog softball team 5-4 victory over UNC Greensboro and sent the seniors and Head Coach Beanie Ketcham off on a positive note in the Bulldogs' season finale at Bulldog Field Sunday. Samford came back from a two-run deficit in the seventh inning to seal the win and end the 2010 season on a lasting memory.

The Bulldogs wrap up the season with a 19-31 record overall and 10-14 in Southern Conference play. Ketcham ends her stint at the helm of the Samford program with 198 wins, making her the winningest coach in Samford softball history.

"You couldn't have written the script any better than that," Ketcham said. "(Amber Harrell) grooved one and (Amanda Jordan) just crushed it. That is the best ending to any game I have ever been in and I'm just thankful and appreciate these kids so much.

"I knew we were in a tough spot because Amanda (Jordan) and Alex (Adams) had been struggling all day," Ketcham said. "Honestly, I was just praying and asking the Lord to give us a good ending. Amanda (Jordan) is such a good competitor and she is capable of doing a lot of damage. I knew if she could get a pitch that she could get the bat on, she would hit it hard."

UNCG (25-28, 12-11 SoCon) jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning on a three-run shot to left field by Kaitlin Merkt. The Spartans extended the lead to 4-0 in the fourth inning as Merkt homered again over the center field wall.

Samford finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning when Aaren Fisher moved into scoring position on a wild pitch after reaching base on a walk. Katie England then singled deep up the middle to drive in Fisher to score the first Bulldog run. England moved around to third base on a single by Amanda Barrs and then scored on a wild pitch to cut the Spartan lead to 4-2.

Samford led off the seventh inning with the top of its batting order for the third time of the day. Fisher flied out to right field for the first out of the inning before England singled to right field. Barrs then struck out swinging to put two outs on the board, but Alex Adams singled to left field to set up a scoring opportunity and bring Jordan, the winning run, to the plate.

Jordan, who had struck out in each of her three previous at-bats, hoped to turn things around and win the game for her team.

"When I stepped up to the plate, I was a little discouraged because I had been struggling all day," Jordan said. "I knew that she was probably going to throw me some junk, just because I had been swinging at it all day."

Jordan fouled the first pitch off and then swung and missed at the second one. With two runners on and one strike away from a third out, Jordan got the pitch she wanted and hit a bomb over the left field wall. Her third home run of the season and the fourth of her career sealed the victory for the Bulldogs.

"The last time I came up to bat, I saw the pitches a little better and she finally threw me something inside," Jordan said. "This time, I just happened to turn on it. I didn't even see it off my bat; I just started running as fast as I could. By the time I got to second base, I saw everyone crowding home plate, so I figured it went out.

"It couldn't have ended better. It kind of reminded me of our season," Jordan said. "We started off kind of rough but by the end, we really started coming together as a team. It wasn't a fairytale season, but it was definitely a happy ending."

Seniors England and Barrs led the Bulldogs on their Senior Day. England went 3-for-4 with one RBI and two runs while Barrs went 2-for-4 at the plate. Senior Rachael Reeves and Adams went 1-for-3 while Jordan was 1-for-4 on the day with one run and three RBI.

Barrs (5-15) finished out the season as the last pitcher in the circle and earned the win, giving up just one hit while recording one strikeout in two innings of play. Senior Stephanie Royall started the game and pitched 2.2 innings, giving up three earned runs on nine hits. Kayla Burris pitched 2.1 innings and gave up just one earned run on one hit while striking out one batter.

Merkt led the Spartans with a 3-for-3 appearance at the plate while also posting four RBI and scoring two runs. Brittany Ausley went 2-for-4 with one run while Kristen Gabel was 2-for-3 at the plate. Alex Emeterio, Eileen Horsmon, Whitney Sirois and Heather Robb each recorded a hit as well.

Harrell (13-14) took the loss, giving up five earned runs on eight hits, while striking out 10 batters and walking three.

The 2010 senior class goes out with 116 wins under their belt in five years, the most of any senior class in Samford history. Under the leadership of Ketcham, they have seen four winning seasons and made two conference tournament semifinal appearances.

her first year as the Bulldog skipper, Ketcham churned out Samford softball's first winning season and followed that up with two more winning seasons in 2004 and 2005. In 2006, Ketcham became the first coach in school history to reach the 100-win plateau when the Bulldogs earned a 6-1 victory over Morehead State on April 29. She has been with the Bulldog program since 1998, serving four years as an assistant coach before being named head coach in 2002.