March 17, 2012

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

CHARLESTON, S.C. ---- Samford softball fell in two games Saturday, as the College of Charleston defeated the Bulldogs 4-2 and 7-1 in an afternoon double-header.

Samford's (5-19, 0-5 SoCon) offensive effort was led by Madison Dickey and Misha Aldridge, who each went 2-4 Saturday. Charleston's (14-11, 2-3 SoCon) offense was led by Carly Corthell, going 4-7.

Game One: College of Charleston 4, Samford 2

Shelby Scott pitched a solid game in her first career start, going 3.2 innings and allowing only one hit, though she was credited with three earned runs after exiting with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth, earning the loss to fall to 0-1 on the season. Samford was led offensively by Aldridge, going 2-3 at the plate in the cleanup spot, as the top four in Samford's order accounted for all five of the team's hits. For the College of Charleston, Stephanie Saylors earned the complete-game win in the circle to move to 7-6.

In the top of the third, consecutive fielding errors by the Cougars put two runners on with nobody out. Robyn Harmon loaded the bases with an infield single, setting up Dickey in a key early spot. She grounded out to the shortstop, who threw for the force out at home but a high throw from the catcher to first sailed into right field, allowing one run to come home and put runners on the corners. Dickey attempted to steal on the first pitch as they caught her in a rundown, but it allowed Harmon to come home from third to put the Bulldogs up 2-0. Samford would load the bases with two out, but the College of Charleston managed to pitch out of potential trouble, stranding three.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Cougars loaded the bases with two outs, as Nicole Bobrowski entered as the pitcher to try and get Samford out of the inning. The batter hit a hard shot to first, bouncing off Harmon's glove to bring home one. Confusion on the base paths had two runners at third, but the Samford infield couldn't capitalize on the mistake as the lead runner ended up coming home to tie the game at 2-2. A two-run single to center field gave Charleston the 4-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth.

Neither team would score in the fifth or sixth innings and a 1-2-3 top of the seventh ended the game in favor of the Cougars, 4-2.

Game Two: College of Charleston 7, Samford 1

The Bulldogs scored first in the second game, but seven unanswered runs proved the difference, as the Cougars earned the 7-1 in the back end of the double-header. Misha Aldridge pitched 6.0 innings and took the loss, falling to 3-10 on the season. The Cougars limited the Bulldogs to three hits, with Dickey, Bobrowski and Adams accounting for the team's output. Jen Rosene earned the complete-game win for the College of Charleston, her first win of the season.

Samford got on the board first, as Abby Adams roped a long double into left field over the charging defender's head to score Bobrowski from first. The Cougars answered right back however, as they hit a two-run homer in the bottom half of the inning to take the lead, 2-1. Charleston would add another run in the bottom of the third, hitting an RBI single up the middle to extend their lead to 3-1. A walk would load the bases but Aldridge would pitch out of the jam, limiting the damage in the inning to only one run.

With two outs in the fifth inning and a runner at second, the Cougar batter would knock a hard single into right-center to score the runner, though the batter was tagged out trying to advance to second which ended the inning with Charleston up, 4-1. The Cougars manufactured three more runs in the sixth, behind two RBI singles and a bases-loaded walk to bring the score to 7-1, which proved final.

Samford concludes the three-game series with a noon matchup tomorrow against the College of Charleston.