Feb. 25, 2012

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- Samford softball had a tough opening day in the Samford Scramble on Saturday, falling 4-1 to Eastern Illinois and 6-2 to Mercer.

Samford (3-7) was barely out-hit by their opponents, 13-10, but left 13 runners on base. Madison Dickey and Shelby Scott both had multiple hits between the two games, as Scott went 2-4 and Dickey went 3-7. Rachel Bickert drew bases-loaded walks in both games to earn two RBI on the day. Abby Adams only went 1-5 at the plate for the day, but her one hit was a solo home run against Mercer.

In the third game of the afternoon, Mercer (4-7) defeated Eastern Illinois (3-2), 2-0.

Game One: Eastern Illinois 4 (3-1), Samford (3-6) 1

The Bulldogs were frustrated by the Panthers' pitching the whole game, as Eastern Illinois only allowed three hits. Misha Aldridge pitched her sixth complete game, giving up six hits and two earned runs, but suffers another tough loss dropping her record to 1-5 this season. Stephanie Maday earned the win on the mound for Eastern Illinois, improving to 3-0 on the season.

Eastern Illinois put a pair of runs on the board in the first two innings. In the top of the first, a soft hit into right field found the perfect spot just out of the reach of second baseman Robyn Harmon, putting two batters on with one out. The following batter knocked in an RBI single up the middle to bring the runner from second home. In the second, Samford overthrew the putout attempt at first, allowing the batter to move to second and then to third on the ensuing groundout. The next batter hit a ground ball but the runner at third beat out the tag attempt at home plate, making the score 2-0 after the unearned run.

After two consecutive 1-2-3 innings, the Samford offense started to pressure Eastern Illinois in the bottom of the fifth. A leadoff walk and a single put two runners on with nobody out and, two batters later, a walk would load the bases with one out. Kayla Shaffer hit a ground ball and Madeline Baker was tagged out at home on the fielder's choice. With the bases loaded and two out, Bickert drew a walk to plate Caroline Seay from third. The threat was stopped at one run however, as a groundout ended the inning.

Eastern Illinois answered back in the top of the sixth, scoring two courtesy of a close play at home plate on a groundout and an unearned score on a passed ball. The 4-1 lead after 5.5 innings would prove final.

Game Two: Mercer 6 (3-7), Samford 2 (3-7)

After two scoreless innings, the Mercer offense came alive, scoring in three consecutive innings to earn their 6-2 victory. Dickey had a great day at the plate, earning a season-high three hits in four plate appearances batting in the leadoff spot. Robyn Harmon pitched a complete game but suffered her second-consecutive loss, moving to 2-2 on the season. Kassie Bailey earned the win for Mercer and is also 2-2 this year.

Mercer's first three runs were all courtesy of the long ball, as a two-run homer in the third and a solo homer in the fourth put them up 3-0. The Bears would add three more in the fifth, as three RBI singles put them ahead 6-0 after 4.5 innings.

The Bulldogs prevented the shutout by scoring two in the bottom of the fifth. Adams hit her second home run of the season, a leadoff solo home run to make the score 6-1. With two out and two on, Shaffer would be hit by a pitch to load the bases for Bickert. Good patience at the plate proved fruitful again, as she drew a walk to bring home Arica Dykes from third. Neither team would score in the next two innings, making the 6-2 score final.

The Samford Scramble concludes tomorrow with three more games. Eastern Illinois and Mercer open the day at noon, with Samford versus Eastern Illinois to follow at 2:15 p.m. and Samford versus Mercer to conclude the day with a 4:30 p.m. first pitch.