April 10, 2012

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- Samford softball took two tough losses in a midweek double header at cross-town rival UAB, as the Bulldogs fell 12-4 and 8-0.

Samford (9-29) was out-paced by the UAB (25-14) offense in both games, as the Blazers earned both early victories with the run rule. The Bulldog attack was led by Alex Adams, who went a combined 3-6 at the plate, while Misha Aldridge and Shelby Scott both earned two RBI.

Game One: UAB 12, Samford 4 (4.5 Innings)

Behind a big fourth inning, UAB would earn a 12-4 win with a walk-off double in the bottom of the fifth. Aldridge (5-14) takes the loss for Samford in the circle and the Bulldog offense was led by Scott, going 2-3 including a two-run homer. UAB's Leigh Streetman (7-5) earns the win for the Blazers in the circle and their offense was led by Kayla Orr, who went 2-4 with four RBI.

The game started on time, despite a steady pregame rain that continued throughout most of the first inning. The sun came out just in time for a heads-up double play to end the first inning. A hard grounder came right back at Aldridge on the mound, who quickly turned around and whipped it to Abby Adams who then dished it to Alex Adams to complete the textbook 1-6-3 double play.

Samford got on the board first, scoring two in the top of the second. With two outs and two runners in scoring position, Aldridge would hit a clutch double to shallow right field, as the ball got past the sliding outfielder, to bring home two and put Samford up 2-0 early.

UAB would quickly tie the game up in the bottom half of the inning. With runners in scoring position, a single to right field scored the runner from third and an error on the throw home would bring in the trailing runner and move the batter all the way to third. The Blazers would load the bases but the threat would be neutralized as their home-run leader, Kristen McGrath, grounded out to Abby Adams to end the inning with the score tied, 2-2.

UAB would take a substantial lead in the bottom of the fourth, as they manufactured eight runs to pull ahead 10-2. The Blazers started the run with a deep double to the left field fence, bringing home the runner from second to give the Blazers the 3-2 edge. A single to center field would bring home another run, pushing the Blazers' lead to 4-2. Whitney Fletcher would follow that with a triple to left field, driving another run home to build a 5-2 lead. That run would end the game for Aldridge in the circle, as Scott came in as the relief pitcher. UAB would rope a hard double down the left line to drive home yet another run, as they extended the lead to 6-2. The long inning refused the end with the next batter driving a long ball past the fence, as the two-run homer pushed the lead to 8-2. An infield error with two out would plate two more runners as the big inning would ultimately end with a score of 10-2.

Facing the large deficit, Samford needed to score at least two runs to stay alive past the fifth inning. The heart of the Bulldogs' order battled with the Blazers, as Alex Adams legged out a one-out double on the tenth pitch of the at-bat. Tessa Frates came in as a pinch runner and moved to third on a wild pitch. Down to their final batter, Scott came through with a clutch two-run homer to left field to prevent the five-inning run rule loss. The top half of the inning would end with Samford trailing 10-4.

After a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fifth, play was briefly delayed as the rain picked up, though it only lasted about 15 minutes. After walking another batter, a double to left field would bring home two and end the game, giving the Blazers the 12-4 run rule victory.

Game Two: UAB 8, Samford 0 (6 Innings)

The Samford offense failed to find a rhythm in game two, as they were limited to three hits and held scoreless in the 8-0 shutout loss. Nicole Bobrowski (0-4) takes the loss for Samford, as she pitched 5.2 innings before giving up the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the sixth. Amber Torres (6-3) earns the win for UAB in the circle while their offense was led by Kayla Orr, who went 2-4 with two RBI.

UAB threatened in the bottom of the second with a runner at third and one out, but Madison Dickey made a great play behind the plate, picking off the runner at third to clear the bases and put two outs on the board. With two singles, the Blazers would put runners at the corners but a groundout to Abby Adams would end the threat and keep the game scoreless. Samford would threaten similarly in the next half-inning, putting runners at the corners in the top of the third with one out. Arica Dykes was caught stealing on an extremely close play at second and a hard lineout to left field ended the threat.

The Blazers would score the first runs of the game in the bottom of the third, as Whitney Fletcher launched a two-run homer to centerfield to put UAB up 2-0. UAB's Kristen McGrath would hit a second two-run homer later in the inning, as the Blazers ended the inning with the 4-0 lead.

The offenses were held in check as neither team scored until the bottom of the sixth, when the Blazers hit a bases-loaded groundout that got the force-out at second put brought a runner home to make the score 5-0. Another hit dropped into shallow center for a double, bringing in two more runs to pull the Blazers up 7-0.

Next up, Samford will head to Greenville, S.C. to play three games against the Furman Paladins. Action begins with a double header on Saturday, April 14 beginning at noon CT.