Box Score MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Samford University softball team downed Alabama State University 6-1 in an early midweek contest on Tuesday, March 31, at the Barbara Williams Softball Complex.
The Bulldogs (24-13) remained perfect against the Hornets (10-23) to improve its' all-time record to 18-0 and pick up its second victory of the season over ASU.
It was a homecoming of sorts for junior
Caroline Wilder and she certainly embraced the moment. The Montgomery native and former Trinity Presbyterian standout went a perfect 3 for 3 at the plate with an RBI, a pair of runs scored, a walk and a stolen base on the night.
Wilder's first at-bat of the game resulted in a towering homerun that went over the scoreboard in left field to give Samford a 1-0 lead over Alabama State.
Sophomore pitcher
Rebecca Leonard (2-2) received the start in the circle for Samford and effectively in the contest. The Chatsworth, Georgia native pitched five-complete innings and only allowed one run on one hit in the contest while striking out five ASU batters.
Alabama State scored its' lone run of the contest and tied the game 1-1 in the bottom of the second. The Hornets reached base early in the inning on a pair of walks from Leonard then scored on a fielder's choice to the Bulldogs infield.
From the fourth inning on the Bulldogs tallied 11 of its 12 hits in the game and went on to score five more runs.
Before the offense picked up in the fourth it cooled off in the second and third innings. The Bulldogs plated the go ahead run in the fourth on an RBI double from sophomore
Abbie Miranda. Miranda went with a pitch on the outside corner of the plate and sent it deep down the right field line to score Wilder from second. Wilder reached earlier in the inning on a lead-off single up the middle.
Samford secured the momentum of the game in the fifth when the team plated three runs to take a 5-1 lead over Alabama State. Freshman
Lexie Higgins started the inning with a double the left field line and moved over to third on an infield single from senior
Caroline Seay.
Higgins later scored when Alabama State attempted to throw out Seay trying to steal second but the ball sailed into center field that allowed Higgins to score. Junior
Megan Dowdy would later drive in Seay on an RBI single and eventually score herself after stealing second base and home for the Bulldogs third run of the inning.
The Bulldogs plated its final run of the contest in the sixth inning when Seay drove in Miranda from third on another infield single to first. Seay ended the game 2 for 3 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored while Miranda tallied went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored.
The Bulldogs return to Southern Conference action this weekend at home against SoCon newcomer ETSU at the Samford Softball Field on Friday, April 3; game one is slated to start at 3 p.m. with game two scheduled for 5 p.m.
