March 4, 2012

Samford vs. Eastern Illinois Box Score
Samford vs. Mississippi State Box Score

STARKVILLE, Miss. ---- Samford softball fell in its final two matches at the Mississippi State Tournament on Sunday, losing 5-4 to Eastern Illinois in extra innings and 11-5 to host team Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are now 4-12 on the season after going 1-3 this past weekend.

Over the weekend's four games, Misha Aldridge went 1-1, moving to 2-6 overall, while Robyn Harmon took two losses against two hard-hitting offenses, as she is now 2-5 on the year. Caroline Seay hit 5-13 from the plate (.385), blasting four doubles and earning four RBI. Harmon earned a spot on the weekend's All-Tournament team, going 4-10 from the plate with a double, a home run, four runs, two RBI and two walks.

Game One: Eastern Illinois 5 (5-6), Samford 4 (4-11) - 8 Innings

Samford saw a 4-2 lead erased in the top of the seventh, forcing extra innings as they eventually fell in a tough 5-4 loss to Eastern Illinois in eight innings. Misha Aldridge falls to 2-6 on the season, as this is her third loss by only one run. At the plate Samford was led by Harmon and Madison Dickey, who each went 2-4 in the game, giving Dickey five multi-hit games so far this season. The Panthers' second pitcher, Stephanie Maday, earned the win to move to 4-2 and they were led offensively by their first two hitters, Bailey O'Dell and Melise Brown, who earned two RBI each.

Both teams were pitching no-hitters until the bottom of the third, when Rachel Bickert knocked a single to center field to bring home the pinch runner, Arica Dykes, from third. The Bulldogs put two more runs on the board in the fourth inning, building an early 3-0 lead. Dickey got things started, as she put a single up the middle with runners at the corners to bring Harmon from third. The run ended the day for Eastern Illinois starting pitcher Hanna Mennenga, who pitched 3.0 innings with five hits and three earned runs. Aldridge reached on a fielder's choice the next at bat, earning the RBI as Madeline Baker crossed the plate on the play.

Eastern Illinois would break into the run column in the top of the fifth, as a two-out walk set up O'Dell for a two-run homer to center field, drawing the Panthers within one late. Samford added some cushion in the bottom of the fifth, as an error by the Panther third baseman with runners at first and third allowed Harmon to cross as an unearned run and make the score 4-2.

With their back against the wall, Eastern Illinois tied the game in the top of the seventh. After two leadoff hits, the Panthers found themselves down to their final out after a groundout and a fly ball. A clutch single brought home the two runners and a 1-2-3 inning for Samford in the bottom of the seventh meant the teams were heading into extra innings.

In the top half of the inning, the Eastern Illinois runner placed on second advanced to third on a passed ball and scored as an unearned run on an infield single by the next batter. The Bulldogs had a chance in the bottom half, with the bases loaded and two out, but a strikeout ended the game to give Samford its fourth one-run loss of the season.

Game Two: Mississippi State 11 (14-5), Samford 5 (4-12)

There was plenty of back-and-forth scoring in a hard-hitting battle of the Bulldogs, but it was the home team, Mississippi State, who pitched three hitless innings to end the game, 11-5, in their favor. Harmon took the loss for Samford, pitching 3.1 innings and allowing eight earned runs, with five coming in a high-scoring first inning. Despite giving up five runs, Mississippi State pitching still frustrated Samford's hitters, as the two pitchers combined for 13 strikeouts. Samford's offense was led by Alex Adams, going 2-3 at the plate with two RBI while Abby Adams had two RBI of her own, courtesy of a two-run homer in the fourth inning.

The bats found their targets in the first inning, as the teams combined for nine runs. Samford would put up three in the top half, as a passed ball with the bases loaded started the scoring, bringing home the runner from third. Alex Adams followed with a single to center field, bringing in Harmon and Shelby Scott. In the bottom half of the inning, an error at first brought home a run from second and a grand slam extended the Mississippi State lead to 5-3.

Down 6-3 in the top of the fourth, Abby Adams would blast a two-run homer to left field, her third of the season, to bring the visiting Bulldogs within one run. The fourth inning would be the last for Mississippi State starting pitcher Stephanie Becker, as Lindsey Dunlap came in and pitched three hitless innings, striking out seven, to close the game. The home team's offense scored four more runs in the final three frames, making the final score 11-5.

Samford will take a midweek trip to Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Wednesday, March 7 to face the No. 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide at 6 p.m. The Bulldogs will return home for a three-game series, opening conference play against Georgia Southern with a double-header starting on Saturday, March 10 at 1 p.m.