Box Score BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- Samford softball dropped a tough loss Tuesday to Jacksonville State as the Gamecocks overcame a four-run lead and held off a Bulldog rally in the seventh with Samford ultimately falling, 7-6.
 
Samford (10-18) built an early 4-0 lead thanks to a four-run second inning spurred by a leadoff home run by Rachel Bickert, her first career long ball at Samford.  Bickert had a great day at the plate, going 3-4 with Alex Adams and Shelby Scott each driving in a pair of runs as well.  Misha Aldridge (2-2) threw 6.0 shutout innings before allowing five earned runs in the top of the seventh, taking the tough loss in the circle.
 
Jacksonville State (18-14) was relatively quiet offensively until the big seventh inning, including a grand slam by Krystal Ruth.  Kalee Tabor went 2-3 as their only player to earn more than one hit while reliever Savanna Hennings (2-0) held on in the seventh inning to narrowly earn her second win of the season.
 
Bickert got the Bulldogs on the board first in the bottom of the second with a leadoff homer to straightaway center.  With one out in the inning, back-to-back singles by Arica Dykes and Kayla Shaffer set up a two-out single by Megan Dowdy that scored one and put runners at the corners.  Alex Adams brought the pair home with a double to the left-field wall, stretching the Samford lead to 4-0.  A strikeout would end the inning with the Bulldogs holding a four-run lead.
 
The Gamecock offense would only muster three hits through the first six innings, as the score remained the same heading into the top of the seventh.  Back-to-back singles leading off the half-inning spelled early trouble for Samford, and a failed force out attempt at third off a ground ball loaded the bases as the potential tying run was now at the plate with nobody out.  A walk would bring one run home, cutting the lead to 4-1, and a two-run single to center field would further narrow the gap with Samford only leading 4-3 with two in scoring position and still nobody out.
 
That single would end the day for Aldridge in the circle as Scott entered to pitch in a big spot.  A walk would load the bases again and set up the big at-bat for Ruth as she blasted a grand slam to center field, giving Jacksonville State their first lead of the game, 7-4.  Scott would bounce back, allowing a walk before getting out three batters in a row but the damage was done as Samford now had to overcome a three-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh.
 
With one out in the bottom half of the inning, Dowdy and Alex Adams drew back-to-back walks and a groundout moved them both into scoring position with two away.  Scott shot a hard single into the right-field gap, driving both runners home to draw the Bulldogs within one run.  Bickert roped a single through the left side as the potential tying run moved into scoring position.  Caroline Seay looked as if she grounded out but was given second life as the Jacksonville first baseman dropped the ball with Seay reaching on an error.  Scott rounded third after seeing the error as the Gamecock first baseman recovered the dropped ball and threw Scott out at home trying to score, ending the game with Samford taking the tough 7-6 loss.
 
Next up, Samford travels to Baton Rouge, La., for a Saturday doubleheader with #12 LSU (27-6, 7-2 SEC).  First pitch of game one on Saturday, March 30 is set for 1 p.m. CT.