March 10, 2011

Box Score

MACON, Ga. ---- The Samford softball team dropped its mid-week doubleheader at Mercer Thursday evening after a heartbreaking end to a tough battle in game two. The Bulldogs fell in the first game 9-0 in five innings before Mercer edged out the win in the second game, 8-6, on a walk-off home run.

The Bears jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead in the first game after a two-run home run by Sara Stukes in the first inning and a grand slam by Kristin Marko in the second inning. A three-run homer by Randi Rea in the bottom of the fourth extended the Mercer lead to 9-0, and the Bears took the win in five innings.

The (3-15) Bulldogs had two hits against the Bears (16-8) in game one, courtesy of Robyn Harmon and Madeline Baker. Nicole Bobrowski (1-3) took the loss for Samford, giving up nine runs on eight hits and allowing four walks. Emily Waters finished out the game in the circle, giving up two hits in two-thirds of an inning.

Nine Mercer players chalked up at least one hit in the first game, including McKenzie Woody who had two hits. Marko led her team with four RBI, followed by Rea with three and Stukes with two. Kari Chambers pitched four innings for the Bears, giving up just two hits. Kristen Bretscher pitched the final inning, allowing no runs or hits.

The second game turned out to be a battle of the bats as both teams went back-and-forth plating runs in almost every inning.

Samford plated the first run of the game in the top of the second inning when Lakan Smith hit an RBI single to score Aaren Fisher from third base. However, the Bears answered back with two runs in the bottom of the inning to move into the lead, 2-1. Allison Jones doubled with two outs to set up a scoring opportunity and Amanda Santa Maria followed with a single to put runners on the corners. Harmon walked Sarah Santana to load the bases and then walked Marko to bring Jones in for the first Mercer run. Woody singled through the left side to drive Santa Maria in before Stukes flied out to end the inning.

The Bulldogs took the lead back in the top of the third after three straight hits gave Samford a 3-2 lead. With one out, Harmon singled to left field followed by a double from Bobrowski to put runners on second and third. Fisher then singled to advance Bobrowski to third and score Harmon. Fisher stole second while Bobrowski scored on the throw. Mercer eventually got out of the inning, but not before Samford reclaimed its lead.

Mercer matched Samford's two runs in the bottom of the third inning with a two-out rally that included RBI singles from Santa Maria and Anna Johnson. After two scoreless innings, the Bulldogs tacked on two more runs to take a 5-4 lead in the top of the sixth inning. Whitney Terry hit a two-run home run to score Amanda Jordan. The home run was her first of the year and the second of her career.

The Bears tied the game at five in the bottom of the seventh inning, when Johnson hit a two-out single to drive in Kennedy and send the game into an eighth inning.

The international tie-breaker rule placed Fisher on second to start the top of the eighth inning. Baker grounded out to move Fisher to third to lead off and Smith followed with a double to drive in Fisher and put the Bulldogs up by a score of 6-5. However, Rea hit a three-run home run to right-center field in the bottom of the inning to take the lead back for Mercer and end the game, 8-6.

Smith led the Bulldogs with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate and two RBI. Harmon and Jordan each were 2-for-4 with a run while Bobrowski, Fisher, Terrry and Bates also each recorded a hit for the Bulldogs. Smith and Terry led in RBI with two each. Harmon (0-5) pitched a complete game, giving up seven earned runs on 11 hits while striking out a batter and walking eight.

Johnson led the Bears, going 2-for-3 with two RBI while Woody, Rea and Santa Maria went 2-for-4 while Rea lead in RBI with three. Molly Anderson pitched the first inning and a third, giving up one run on three hits while walking two batters. Jenni Holtz (8-4) pitched 6.2 innings and earned the win, giving up four earned runs on seven hits while striking out seven batters and walking just one.

Samford will open the Southern Conference season this weekend at Chattanooga. The Bulldogs and Lady Mocs open the series at 12 p.m. CT on Saturday with a doubleheader followed by the series closer on Sunday at noon. A full recap and final statistics will be available on www.samfordsports.com after the conclusion of the games each day.