Box Score SPARTANBURG, S.C. ---- Samford opened action at the Spartan Invitational on Friday with a pitcher's duel against Winthrop.  A solo home run late in the game ended up being the difference as the Bulldogs dropped another tough one-run game, falling 1-0 to the Eagles.
 
The Samford (2-4) offense could only muster one hit, though four errors by the Winthrop defense gave the Bulldogs multiple opportunities throughout the game to score.  Madison Dickey's sixth-inning single gives her a three-game hitting streak, the longest on the team in the opening week of the season.  Mollie Hanson (2-3) suffers another hard-luck loss in the circle, falling under .500 despite only surrendering one earned run off four hits with six strikeouts.
 
Winthrop (2-4) earns its second win of the season with second baseman Kritsy Noble hitting the deciding home run in the sixth inning.  Sutton Watson (2-1) pitched the full 7.0 innings with only one hit allowed and eight strikeouts.
 
Consecutive errors by the Winthrop third baseman in the top of the third inning put Hannah Taylor and Megan Dowdy on base with the heart of the order due up for the Bulldogs.  The pair eventually both moved into scoring position after a popup and a groundout, but a lineout left them stranded to end the scoring threat.
 
Despite multiple runners on base throughout the game, it wasn't until the top of the sixth inning that Samford finally broke into the hit column as Dickey led off the inning with a single up the middle.  She was sacrificed over to second and then advanced to third on a groundout to put the potential go-ahead run 60 feet away with two outs.  A strikeout ended the inning however to strand her at third as the game remained scoreless.
 
With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Noble put the Eagles up late with a solo home run to right field as they moved up 1-0.  A lineout and a strikeout ended the inning but put the Bulldogs in a must-score position heading into the top of the seventh.  Unfortunately, the Samford bats couldn't find their stroke in the top of the seventh as the Bulldogs went down in order to end another tough one-run loss.
 
Samford continues its weekend with a 10 a.m. ET game tomorrow against George Washington (1-2).  The Colonials play a double-header tonight against Bowling Green and USC Upstate.