Feb. 11, 2011

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The Samford softball team dropped its season opener Friday night to the University of Alabama, who was ranked sixth in the USA Today/NFCA preseason rankings. The Bulldogs fell to the Crimson Tide by a score of 8-0 in five innings.

"We looked good today and had a great presence despite what the score was," Samford head coach Stephanie VanBrakle said. "I'm proud of how the team came out and competed tonight."

Samford held the Crimson Tide scoreless in the first inning but Alabama rattled off five runs in the second inning to take a 5-0 lead. The Tide added three more in the bottom of the fourth inning before shutting down the Bulldogs in the fifth to seal the win.

Senior Aaren Fisher and junior Robyn Harmon led the Bulldogs, each going 2-for-3 at the plate in the season debut. Harmon (0-1) also pitched a complete game, giving up eight runs on eight hits, walking five batters and recording two strikeouts. Freshman Nicole Bobrowski recorded one of Samford's five hits, going 1-for-2 in her collegiate debut.

Along with Bobrowski, redshirt freshman Arica Dykes also got her first start as a Bulldog at second base.

Jennifer Fenton led the Tide with a 3-for-3 performance at the plate. She posted three hits including one home run along with three RBI and two runs. She also stole two bases. Cassie Reilly-Boccia followed, going 2-for-3, with a run, an RBI and a home run. Whitney Larsen and Jackie Traina also each had one of Alabama's four home runs, posting two RBI on each home run as well. Traina (1-0) also pitched a full five innings, giving up just five hits and recording five strikeouts. Kayla Braud had one of Alabama's eight hits while also stealing three bases.

In the top of the first inning, Samford got Harmon all the way to third but could not bring her in. Then in the bottom of the inning, Alabama had several chances to score but Samford thwarted those with great defensive plays. However, in the bottom of the second inning, Traina homered to center field with a runner on third to give the Tide a 2-0 lead. Braud then walked and stole second before Fenton singled to bring her in. Larsen then homered to make the score 5-0.

In the third inning, Samford quickly got two runners in scoring position but could not get them home. The Bulldogs held Alabama scoreless in the bottom of the third but after a quick outing in the top of the fourth inning, Fenton hit a two-run home run to left field. Boccia then homered to widen the gap to 8-0.

Samford will take on South Alabama in the first session of Saturday's games at 11 a.m. The game will be played on field six. The Bulldogs will then play cross-town rival UAB at 1:30 p.m. to wrap up Saturday's action. Fans can follow Samford's game against UAB via live stats which can be accessed on the Samford softball schedule page at www.samfordsports.com. A full recap and results will be posted upon the completion of Saturday's doubleheader.