BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford University softball team dropped its' fifth-straight Southern Conference game after only plating one run in a pair of losses to Mercer University on Saturday, April 18, at the Samford Softball Field.
In the pair of losses the Bulldogs (27-19, 8-6 SoCon) suffered its' first SoCon series loss at home since Western Carolina in 2013 to close out the regular season. The shutout in game one also marked the first time SU has been held scoreless inside the new facility that was completed towards the end of the 2013 season.
The Bears (31-16, 7-3 SoCon) rode a complete-game effort from pitcher Kirsten Stevens (20-6) to take game one from Samford 2-0. Stevens scattered three Samford hits while striking out six and allowing one walk.
Redshirt junior
Mollie Hanson battled it out against Stevens all seven innings and held the Bears to only two runs on nine hits. Mercer plated the deciding runs in the top of the third inning when Taylor Miller led off with a single and advanced all the way to third after the ball was mishandled on a hop by
Shelby Maze in center field.
Miller scored on a double by Riley Carter in the gap at left center; Carter scored later in the inning for the second run.
The Bulldogs put constant pressure on the Bears defense in the second game of the afternoon and forced four errors while putting in play five hits in the contest. SU however left a total of nine runners stranded including the bases loaded twice en route to scoring one run.
Despite a career-high nine strikeouts by
Grey Adams in the circle the Bears plated five runs to take game two 5-1. The first two runs issued by Adams came from a slow start in the circle as she walked in the first two Mercer runs in the top of the first inning.
The Bulldogs struck back in the bottom of the inning after junior
Megan Dowdy led-off the inning with a triple to the wall in right field. Sophomore
Shelby Maze plated Dowdy on an RBI single right back up the middle.
With the bases loaded and no outs on the board Samford looked primed to tie or regain the lead in the contest but Mercer pitcher Megan Bilgri shut the door and retired the next three Samford batters.
The Bears extended its lead out to 5-1 in the fourth on a three-run home run by Carter. A walk and a bunt single by Rachael Hugghins and Meghan Rud set up carter for the shot that sailed over the wall in left center.
The Bulldogs will wrap up the series against the Bears on Sunday, April 19, for senior day at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast by the SoCon Digital Network.
