April 5, 2011

Box Score

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. ---- The Samford softball team notched its first midweek win of the season Tuesday evening as it split its doubleheader at Western Kentucky. The Bulldogs took game one, 4-3, before falling in game two, 8-0.

Samford now moves to 9-30 on the season while Western Kentucky improves to 21-17 overall. The Bulldogs still keep the series advantage as the overall series record moves to 4-3.

The Bulldogs had a chance to score early in the first inning of game one as Amanda Jordan walked with two outs to load the bases with Brianna Chambers at second and Lakan Smith at third. Nicole Bobrowski then reached on a fielder's choice to move the runners, but Chambers was thrown out at home to end the inning.

Samford took a 3-0 lead in the third inning when Bobrowski homered to right-center field with one out to score Jordan and Smith. Western Kentucky made it a 3-1 ballgame in the bottom of the third when Kelsie Mattox doubled to left field with one out to bring Katrina Metoyer home, but Laura Smith grounded out and Ciara Garcia fouled out to end the inning.

The Hilltoppers cut the lead to one in the bottom of the fifth inning when Tiffany Gooch scored on a wild pitch. However, Samford would answer back in the top of the seventh to go ahead, 4-2.

Kayla Shaffer singled through the left side to start the seventh inning followed by a single to left field from Chambers. A sacrifice bunt from Lakan Smith moved the runners around, but a fielder's choice got Jordan to first, Chambers to third and called Shaffer out at home. With two outs, Bobrowski hit an RBI single to bring in Chambers before Jordan was thrown out a home on a fielder's choice to end the inning.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Metoyer doubled with two outs to left field to drive in Karavin Dew to cut the Bulldogs' lead to one. However, a fly out by Mattox ended the game and the Bulldogs escaped with the 4-3 win in game one.

Bobrowski led the Bulldogs at the plate with a 2-for-3 performance, one run and four RBI. Shaffer followed, going 2-for-4, while Chambers and Allison Reynolds also each had a hit.

Kayla Burris (6-12) earned the win, striking out five batters in a complete seven-inning outing. She gave up just three runs on eight hits against the Hilltoppers.

Metoyer went 3-for-3 and Dew went 2-for-2 to lead WKU at the plate. Mattox, Mallorie Sulaski and Amanda Walden also recorded hits for the Hilltoppers.

Sulaski (9-7) took the loss, giving up three earned runs on four hits. She recorded two strikeouts and allowed four walks. Dana Nathanson pitched one inning of relief and gave up two hits.

In game two, the Hilltoppers shut down the Bulldogs in the first three innings, as Samford could not ring up a hit until the fourth inning. Chambers hit a two-out double down the left field line but a pop out from Jordan ended the inning and the scoring opportunity for the Bulldogs.

Bobrowski allowed only one WKU hit in the first inning before Amanda Thomas led off the bottom of the second inning with a home run to center field to give WKU the 1-0 lead. However, she sat the next three batters down with a fly out, a pop up and a ground out.

The third inning put the Hilltoppers up 2-0 as Smith singled up the middle with one out to score BrittneyPerry who singled to lead off the inning before stealing second. WKU had scoring opportunities in the fourth and fifth innings but the Bulldogs worked out of it and kept the Hilltoppers from scoring any more runs.

Samford put together three straight singles by Surane, Dykes and Shaffer in the sixth inning to load the bases, but back-to-back strikeouts by Chambers and Smith and a ground out by Jordan left the bases loaded and ended the inning.

In the bottom of the sixth, WKU extended its lead to 6-0. Metoyer started the scoring with a single with runners on the corners to score Thomas. Then, with the bases loaded, Mattox hit a two-RBI single to drive in Metoyer and Dew before Smith reached first base on an error by Jordan and advanced to second while Perry came home to score the sixth run. A walk-off two-RBI double by Taylor drove in Smith and Mattox and ended the game. The Hilltoppers won game two, 8-0.

Shaffer, Chambers and Surane each had one of Samford's three hits in game two. Bobrowski (2-7) took the loss, giving up three earned runs on 10 hits in 5.2 innings. She struck out three batters and allowed just one walk.

Thomas led the Hilltoppers, going 3-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. Smith followed going 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI while Mattox went 1-for-4 with a run and two RBI. Meteyor went 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI and Perry was 1-for-2 with two runs. Garcia and Taylor also each had a hit while Taylor had two RBI as well.

Kim Wagner (10-7) earned the win, giving up just three hits in six innings of work. She also struck out four batters.

The Bulldogs have an open week this weekend before returning home next weekend, April 16-17, to play host to the reigning Southern Conference Tournament Champion Elon.