March 9, 2012
Full Release Notes 
SAMFORD OPENS CONFERENCE PLAY HOSTING GEORGIA SOUTHERN
Samford opens its conference slate this weekend, hosting Georgia Southern for a three-game series. Teams open play with a double-header on Saturday, March 10 beginning at 1 p.m. with a third game scheduled for Sunday, March 11 at 1 p.m.
OPPONENT SCOUTING REPORT
Georgia Southern (10-7, 0-0 SoCon) - The Eagles enter conference play at 10-7, having won five of their last seven games. Four of their wins have been shoutouts, as the pitching staff has performed very well to begin the 2012 season. Their leading starter is Brooke Red, who is 3-0 in six starts. She has only allowed four earned runs over 35.1 innings, giving her a conference-leading 0.79 ERA. Teammate Sarah Purvis ranks second in the SoCon in ERA (1.31) and is 5-3 this season with 60 strikeouts while holding opposing batters to a .164 average. The offense is led by centerfielder Marie Fogle, who has started all 17 games this season and is hitting .397 behind 23 hits, including six doubles, a triple and a home run. Andrea Tarashuk is their RBI leader (13) while Kourty Thomas leads them in the long ball, with three home runs.
LAST TIME OUT: BULLDOGS FALL TO nO. 1 RANKED ALABAMA
The No. 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide were looking for an easy victory Wednesday against Samford, but timely Bulldog hitting made the game competitive, as Samford ultimately fell, 7-3. Samford is only the sixth team this season to score at least three runs against Alabama, who are now 18-0 on the season. Samford (4-13) compiled six hits for the game, with Madison Dickey and Shelby Scott each going 2-3 at the plate. The Crimson Tide looked to earn a five-inning run rule victory, up 7-0 in the bottom of the fifth, but consecutive ground outs stranded the potential winning run at third. With two outs in the top of the sixth, consecutive hits and a walk to Robyn Harmon would load the bases for Dickey, who knocked a ball through the right side under a diving first baseman's glove, plating one and preventing the shoutout. Scott followed with a single back up the middle to add two more runs to Samford's total.
SCOTT ON A STREAK
With Shelby Scott's two hits against Alabama, she extends her current hitting streak to six games. The streak started against Mercer in the final game of the Samford Scramble on Sunday, Feb. 26. She has earned a hit in 10 of the last 11 games, with her only hitless game coming against Eastern Illinois on Feb. 26. It is the second-longest hitting streak for any Bulldog so far this season, as Madison Dickey and Rachel Bickert each started the season on an eight-game hitting streak.
IN A PINCH
Samford has been more successful in its pinch hitting opportunites than the opponents. In pinch-hitting situations, the Bulldogs are hitting .308 (4-13) while their opponents' pinch hitters have only earned one hit in 17 opportunities (.059).
GETTING THEM ACROSS
Samford has decreased the number of runners left stranded over the second half the the season so far. Over the first eight games of the season, Samford was averaging about nine runners left on base per game (8.88), but since then, they have reduced that number to nearly six (6.44).
WEATHER OUTLOOK: SATURDAY, MARCH 10
Birmingham, Ala.
Temperatures in the mid to high 60s
High: 70, Low: 45
5-10 mph wind
Precipitation: 5 percent
WEATHER OUTLOOK: SUNDAY, MARCH 11
Birmingham, Ala.
Temperatures in the low 60s
High: 71, Low: 60
10 mph wind
Precipitation: 20 percent
UP NEXT
Samford plays a pair of mid-week matchups, hosting Mississippi Valley State on Tuesday, March 13 at 4 p.m. and South Alabama on Thursday, march 15 at 4 p.m. They will then take their first conference road trip of the season as they play three at the College of Charleston, beginning on Saturday, March 17.
