Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 GREENSBORO, N.C. ---- In the opening weekend of conference play, Samford fell in a Saturday double-header at UNCG, 4-0 and 9-1.
 
The Samford (7-10) offense struggled to come through in scoring opportunities, stranding six runners on base, while UNCG (17-2) capitalized on untimely Samford errors.  Samford's lone run over the two games came off a solo home run by Abby Adams in game two, her second of the season.
 
GAME ONE: UNCG 4, Samford 0
 
Game one was a close affair for the majority of the game, but a three-run sixth inning for UNCG ultimately gave them the four-run lead in the 4-0 shutout victory.
 
Mollie Hanson (5-8) only allowed one earned run throwing the first 3.0 innings but suffered the loss in the circle.  Misha Aldridge pitched 3.0 relief innings allowing three runs, though only one of them was earned after two errors in the sixth inning.
 
SoCon Pitcher of the Month Raeanne Hanks (8-1) went the distance for UNCG, throwing 7.0 shutout innings with six strikeouts and only one hit and one walk allowed.  SoCon Player of the Week Lindsay Thomas was a force at the plate, going 2-2 with two solo home runs.
 
With two outs in the bottom of the first, Thomas made the Spartan's first hit of the game count, turning on an inside pitch and blasting a solo homer to left field to put UNCG up 1-0 early.  The final batter grounded out to limit the damage though as the Bulldogs faced a one-run deficit.
 
In the bottom of the third, a leadoff slap single and a walk put two on base with nobody out for UNCG.  Danielle Vega popped out to center field for the first out and Thomas was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one away.  The threat was ended with a weak grounder to third, as Callie Brister fired home to Hannah Taylor who turned and threw it to Alex Adams at first to complete the 5-2-3 double play and end the inning.
 
Misha Aldridge entered to pitch for the Bulldogs in the bottom of the fourth, allowing a one-out walk, but she ultimately stranded the runner after a weak grounder and a hard-hit lineout to Brister at third.
 
Abby Adams was walked to lead off the top of the sixth, representing the game-tying run as the Bulldogs' first base-runner since the second inning.  Taylor laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Adams into scoring position and Caroline Wilder reached on a fielding error to put runners at the corners with one away.  A groundout to the shortstop held Adams at third and moved Wilder to second with two away and on the first pitch of the at-bat, Brister launched a long fly ball to left field, falling just short at the warning track for a loud third out, stranding two as UNCG held on to the one-run lead.
 
Thomas added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth for UNCG, leading off the half-inning with her second home run of the game as the Spartans now led 2-0.  A single and consecutive fielding errors loaded the bases for UNCG with still nobody out.  Wilder snagged a lineout at second and threw to Alex Adams at first for the double play, making it two outs with two runners in scoring position.  Nicole Thomas came through with a big pinch-hit, roping a double past a diving Brister at third, scoring two unearned runs to give UNCG the 4-0 lead.
 
Hanks shut the Bulldogs down in order in the top of the seventh to earn the complete-game win.
 
GAME TWO: UNCG 9, Samford 1 (6 Innings)
 
The potent UNCG offense helped guide the Spartans to a six-inning run rule win over Samford in game two, as the Spartans won 9-1 thanks to six unanswered runs over the final three innings.
 
Shelby Scott (0-2) got the start and took the loss, throwing 3.1 innings while allowing six runs, five earned.  After throwing 7.0 innings in game one, Raeanne Hanks (9-1) started and threw 3.0 innings in game two to earn the win.
 
With two runners on base and one out in the bottom of the first, UNCG's Katelyn Bedwell unloaded with a three-run homer to left field as the Spartans built an early 3-0 lead.  A strikeout and groundout ended the inning with the Bulldogs in an early three-run hole.
 
With two outs in the top of the second, Abby Adams took the seventh pitch of the at-bat over the wall as she launched a solo home-run to left field to pull the Bulldogs within two, down 3-1.  A close call at first base ended the inning however as Rachel Bickert was beat out by half a step.
 
Back-to-back walks to lead off the bottom of the fourth put two UNCG runners on base with nobody out.  The two runners were sacrificed into scoring position and Toni MacReynolds came through with a pinch-hit double to the left-field gap, scoring both to move the UNCG lead to 5-1.  A one-out walk ended the day for Scott in the circle as Aldridge came in relief with two on and one away.  Two groundouts ended the inning as Samford now faced a four-run deficit heading into the fifth inning.
 
Wilder was hit by a pitch to lead off the top of the sixth and Dowdy followed that up with a single to shallow right, putting two on with nobody out in the half-inning.  After a popup and a flyout, Kayla Shaffer was walked to load the bases but a strikeout left the bases loaded as the Bulldogs couldn't capitalize on the opportunity.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, a fly ball tipped just off the end of the glove of Arica Dykes on the full run in right field, going as a triple to lead off the half-inning.  A hard-hit single brought her home to stretch the lead to 6-1.  Following an error, UNCG got another single to further extend the lead to 7-1.  Another fielding error loaded the bases and a single up the middle brought home the game-ending run as UNCG won 9-1 in six innings.
 
Samford concludes the three-game series tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET.