Feb. 14, 2012

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- A late-game surge by the Samford Bulldogs (2-3) in their home opener fell just short, as they were edged out by SEC opponent Mississippi State (5-0) Tuesday, 6-3.

"We got outplayed tonight, starting with the little things," said Head Coach Mandy Burford. "We didn't execute our game plan at the plate. Hats off to Mississippi State though. Every pitch that Misha [Aldridge] left near the belt, they crushed, and everything she put at their feet, they laid off. We did the exact opposite today at the plate.

"Our goal is to never go down 1-2-3 in an inning. We only had one inning where that happened. In every other inning, we had at least four people see an at-bat but we just couldn't execute."

Offensively for Samford, freshman first baseman Rachel Bickert had a great game, going 3-3 with an RBI double in the fourth.

"Rachel has been seeing the ball really well. She wasn't in the starting lineup last weekend and we put her in to pinch hit and she ripped a double to the gap. Ever since then, our goal for her has been to get at least one hit per game, looking for that .333 average. She's really taken that to heart and she's seeing the ball big now.

On defense, freshman Abby Adams continues to perform well at short stop, totaling 4 assists and one putout Tuesday.

"Abby is a stud," said Burford. "She's a freshman who doesn't play like a freshman. She's a go-getter and is one of the most competitive people I've ever been around. Whenever she doesn't make a play, you know something is wrong because she makes every play she is supposed to and even the ones she's not supposed to."

A two-out solo homer in the top of the first put the first run on the board in Mississippi State's favor. They tacked on two more in the top of the third off a great defensive effort by Nicole Bobrowski in right. A long fly drifted on the Samford right fielder and she made a leaping effort to catch the ball but did not fully secure it, allowing two runs to cross the plate. The runner at first thought Boborowski caught it, as the batter passed the runner on the base paths and was called out, though both runs still counted.

A leadoff homer in the top of the fourth made it 4-0 Mississippi State, but Samford would get on the board in the bottom half of the inning, courtesy of a Bickert double. Madeline Baker, pinch running for Misha Aldridge at first, came all the way around as Bickert blasted a double to left center that was just inches shy of a home run, as it bounced near the top of the outfield fence. The RBI double would make it 4-1, Mississippi State.

Mississippi State would tack on a pair of runs before the end of the game, as a solo home run in the fifth and an RBI single in the top of the seventh would make the score 6-1. Mississippi State brought in a new pitcher in the bottom of the seventh, looking to finish the game, but the hometown Bulldogs had other ideas. Samford would put two on base to start the inning, as consecutive singles to the left side put the first two batters on base and Mississippi State brought a third pitcher into the game. Madison Dickey blasted a single down the right side, bringing home one run and putting runners on the corners with nobody out. With the lead trimmed to 6-2, Mississippi State re-inserted their starter into the game. Dickey stole second and the throw from the catcher sailed wide of the second baseman, allowing Julianne Surane to come home from third. With one out, Dickey would advance to third on a wild pitch, but consecutive strikeouts would end the rally for Samford.

Next, the Bulldogs head to Nashville, Tenn., for the Lipscomb Tournament. The Bulldogs will play both Lipscomb and Butler on Saturday, Feb. 18 and on Sunday, Feb. 19.