GREENSBORO, N.C. – 25 years has passed since the last time a Samford University softball team captured a conference tournament championship but on Saturday, May 14, the Bulldogs eclipsed another program milestone as the team captured their first ever SoCon Tournament Championship with a 4-3 victory in extra innings over No.2 Furman University.
Today's win also secured not only a SoCon Tournament Championship but the automatic bid to the NCAA Softball Championships which is another first for the rising program.
"I couldn't be more proud of what the team and coaches accomplished over the last seven days." Head Coach
Mandy Burford said. "It has been an exciting time to be a part of such a great program and I'm just thrilled and ecstatic for everyone involved."
The Bulldogs (40-18) earned their 40
th win of the season – most in program history – behind stellar pitching from redshirt-senior
Mollie Hanson and timely hitting from senior
Callie Brister, junior
Abbie Miranda and freshman
Hannah Trombley.
"It was a complete team win but
Mollie Hanson really put us on her back." Burford continued. "Most Outstanding Player of the tournament is an understatement for how well she performed this week."
Miranda drove in the game winning run in the bottom of the 8
th with a shot to shallow left field that scored senior
Callie Brister who led off the inning with a double down the left line. Brister had the go sign from head coach
Mandy Burford the entire time as she rounded third and slide into home plate.
Furman (33-28) pushed the game into extra innings after plating two unearned runs across in the top of the 7
th inning of play to take a 3-2 lead.
For the first time in 20 2/3 innings at the SoCon Tournament the Bulldogs faced a deficit but that would be short lived thanks to a heroic at-bat by Trombley in the bottom of the 7
th.
With one out on the board and full-count at the plate, Trombley ripped a low line drive down the left line that cleared the wall for her 12
th home run of the season and evened the score 3-3.
Furman pressured the entire game and nearly broke onto the scoreboard in the initial frame of the contest as they had loaded the bases with no outs. Hanson induced a ground ball to Bice at first where Samford made the first out on a force play at home then struck out the very next Paladin for the second out. The inning was capped off by Brister who reeled in a lazy line drive at third to keep Furman off the scoreboard.
The Bulldogs scored in the bottom of the first as Brister crushed a two-out double off the wall in right center field and scored during the very next at-bat on an RBI single to left by
Abby Sweeney.
Samford tacked on another run in the bottom of the second inning to take a 2-0 lead thanks to a string of singles by
Kelsey Royalty, Trombley and senior
Megan Dowdy. Royalty roped a line drive to right center and was moved into scoring positon on Trombley's infield single to third.
Dowdy eventually drove in the speedy Royalty on a single to left center field.
Hanson captured her 23
rd win of the season which ties her single-season record she set back in 2014. The Dothan, Alabama native only allowed one earned run in the tournament over 22 innings pitched in the SoCon Tournament.
The Bulldogs will now wait and watch to see where and who they will play as the NCAA Softball Selection Show will take place on Sunday, May 15, at 9 p.m. on ESPNU.
All-Tournament Team (11 due to tie)
Danielle Knoetze, ETSU, Jr. IF
Lindsey Bert, Furman, So., P/DP
Sieara Bishop, Furman, Sr., SS
Candace Johnson, Furman, R-So., OF
Emma Ogburn, Furman, So., C
Megan Bilgri, Mercer, So., P
Callie Brister, Samford, Sr., IF
Mollie Hanson, Samford, R-Sr., P
Abbie Miranda, Samford, Jr., IF
Abby Sweeney, Samford, Jr., C
Amanda Beltran, Chattanooga, Fr., C
Most Outstanding Player
Mollie Hanson, Samford, R-Sr., P
