CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Samford University softball team took the series for the second-consecutive season over UT-Chattanooga in a double header split (5-1, 3-4) on Sunday, May 3, at Frost Stadium to end the regular season.
It was something only writers could script for a blockbuster movie, Samford (32-20, 11-7 SoCon) attempted to defy all the odds by sweeping the top-team, Chattanooga (31-13, 12-5 SoCon), in the Southern Conference on its home field during the final weekend and earn its first ever SoCon regular season championship.
The Bulldogs had all of that within their grasp and looked poised to accomplish the improbable as the team was two outs away from accomplishing the feat against a foe that had come in with an all-time series advantage of 36-9 over SU.
It wasn't in the cards for the Bulldogs today as Anyssa Robles avoided the series sweep for the Mocs with a game-winning two RBI single to left center to put UTC on top 4-3.
Up until that moment Samford worked inning-after-inning from the first game of the day to maintain the momentum the team had built from serving UTC its first loss of the season at home the day before.
In game one it started with junior
Callie Brister's two-RBI single in the top of the first to score junior
Megan Dowdy and freshman
Shelby Maze who each had reach on singles to start the game.
Brister's influence extended to the defensive side as she recorded the first out on a diving grab in foul territory then went back to work at the plate in the third inning to give Samford a 4-1 lead thanks to a two run home run over the wall in left center field.
Freshman Lexi Higgins capped off the inning with an RBI double to left field to extend Samford's lead out to 5-1.
From there on it was redshirt junior
Mollie Hanson's game. The Dothan, Alabama native retired 14 straight UTC batter before giving up a single to Robles in the bottom of the seventh.
The Mocs threatened but never scored and Samford clinched series over Chattanooga for the second-straight season.
Hanson got the call to the circle for the third game and she responded with a heroic effort. Hanson threw her third complete-game in three days and fended off UTC as she scattered four hits over the first five innings of the game.
The Samford offense helped Hanson and scored the first run of the second game thanks to a
Caitlin Bice bases loaded walk that plated Higgins. The run Higgins represented was thanks in part to a push-bunt single by pinch hitter
Clara Bowen; Higgins reentered the game after the base hit.
Chattanooga responded in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game 1-1 on an RBI single by Nicole Osterman.
The Bulldogs weren't going to let the game slip without a fight and Higgins gave Samford a two run lead with a two RBI single past the outstretched arms of J.J. Hamill at shortstop. The Bulldogs took the 3-1 advantage to the bottom of the eighth.
From there Chattanooga went on to score three runs in the bottom of the inning and secure the SoCon regular season title while Samford secured the No.2 seed going into the Southern Conference Softball Tournament.
So another chapter in Samford's book for this season might have closed but the story's ending has still yet to be written.
The Bulldogs will take on No. 7 seed East Tennessee State University on Wednesday, May 6, at 11:30 a.m. CST in the first round of the SoCon Tournament.
