BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford University softball team took a pair of contest 7-0 & 5-1 off of Ohio Valley Conference foe Austin Peay at home on Wednesday, April 20. Sophomore
Lexie Higgins fueled the Bulldogs offense going 4-for-6 (.667) at the plate with five RBIs and three runs scored.
Junior pitcher
Rebecca Leonard (3-2) commanded the circle for Samford in the opening contest and set the tone for the rest of the pitching staff for the remainder of the day as she pitched a complete-game three-hit shutout. Leonard led the staff with five strikeouts on the day while the trio of junior
Jessica Stone (6-5), redshirt-senior
Mollie Hanson and junior
Grey Adams combined for 10 strikeouts in game two.
The only run given up to the Lady Governors through 14-complete innings came in the top of the fourth of game two on a solo home run by Carly Mattson off of
Jessica Stone.
The Bulldogs (28-17) jumped out in front early in game one as Higgins broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the second inning with a two-run home run to left center field that scored senior
Caitlin Bice. Bice reached with a lead-off double to the same area of the field.
In the shutout of game one, the Bulldogs offense picked back up in the fifth when Higgins scored and deep sacrifice fly by
Shelby Maze with freshman
Kelsey Royalty scoring from third after
Abbie Miranda reached first as the firstbaseman pulled herself off the bag too early with two outs.
Samford went on to score three more runs in the sixth of game one with a solo home run from Bice and RBI base hits from
Megan Dowdy and Maze.
In game two it was Higgins again who put the Bulldogs out in front over Austin Peay. The Oxford, Ala. native put down a two RBI single to left center field to score
Abbie Miranda and Bice to make the score 2-0. The duo of Miranda and Bice reached earlier in the inning via back-to-back walks.
The Bulldogs offense remained quiet until the fifth when the team ripped off three more runs thanks to a hot start to the inning with Dowdy's third triple of the year. The Fairhope, Ala. native sits with nine career triples which is just one shy of tying the Samford career-record.
Maze drove Dowdy home on the very next pitch with an RBI double and was eventually scored by an RBI single from Sweeney. Higgins capped off the evening with her last RBI single of the day to bring the score to 5-1.
Maze wrapped up the day going 3-for-6 at the plate which included two doubles, three RBIs and a run scored.
The Bulldogs will continue to take a break from SoCon action but travel to face a dangerous foe in Western Kentucky on Saturday, April 23, in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
