BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – It took a quarter of a century but the Samford University softball team captured its first ever Southern Conference regular season championship and only the second in program history with a game one 3-1 victory in extra innings over UNCG on Saturday, May 7, at the SU Softball Stadium. The last regular season championship occurred in 1991 when Samford was a member of the NSWAC (New South Women's Athletic Conference) which is recognized by the A-Sun today.

The Bulldogs (36-18, 14-3 SoCon) secured the outright title in the bottom of the eighth inning with a two-run game winning home run from freshman Hannah Trombley. What made the moment more special was the fact that it was Trombley's first at-bat since injuring herself in a game against Chattanooga on April 3, and it was in a pinch hit situation with two outs on the board.

However, Samford probably wouldn't have found itself in a 1-1 tie game situation if it wasn't for the efforts of redshirt-senior Mollie Hanson (20-8) who pitch a masterful game against a stout Spartans (27-19, 9-8 SoCon) lineup. The right-handed hurler from Dothan, Alabama limited UNCG to just seven hits and one run in the contest while picking up six strikeouts and no walks.
Hanson is now 10-0 at home this season with a

With hits hard to come by against Hanson, UNCG manufactured a run and took a 1-0 lead in the 4^th inning on a squeeze bunt by Tory Wright that scored pinch runner Emily Lopez. Danielle Vega put the Spartans into scoring position on a double to left center, which proved to be the team's only extra base hit of the contest.

Callie Brister, Samford's all-time home run leader, knotted up the contest in the bottom of the frame with a solo home run to left field off of starting pitcher Alicia Bazonski. The home run by Brister also set a new program standard in the category which was set in 2014 when the Bulldogs hit 51 long balls during the course of the season.

The Bulldogs had to rally again in game two against the Spartans as the team that hails from Greensboro, N.C. plated one run each in the first five innings of play. Brister responded in the bottom of the 1^st inning to give Samford back a brief 2-1 lead with her second home run of the day but UNCG pounded their way to a 5-3 lead heading into the bottom of the 5^th.

Freshman Kelsey Royalty was initially the one to close that gap as she crushed her third home run of the season to right field in the fourth inning to bring the score to 4-3.

In the 5^th inning the Bulldogs plated a trio of runs to regain the lead via a bases loaded RBI walk from Trombley, a wild pitch that scored Brister and an infield groundout by Royalty that drove in fellow freshman Madison Couch.

The job was not done as a dangerous portion of the UNCG lineup still had a chance to bat in the top of the 7^th. Junior pitcher Jessica Stone (7-5) stepped in relief of starter Rebecca Leonard and was tasked with the job to halt the Spartans offense.

Stone issued a walk to eight-hole hitter Rachael McClaskey to lead-off the inning and put the go-ahead runner at the plate with no outs. The Moody, Alabama native bounced back in a big way to strike out Kendall McKinney for the first out which brought up Lindsay Thomas.

Thomas who went 0-for-4 against Hanson in game one was solid in game two as she was 3-for-4 at the plate with a pair of solo home runs at that moment. Stone worked Thomas to a 3-2 count during a seven-pitch at-bat before she pulled the string on an off-speed pitch to strikeout Thomas swinging for the second out.

Stone finished the inning and the game as she induced a 1-3 putout on the very next UNCG batter to secure the doubleheader sweep and to clinch the Bulldogs sixth SoCon and final SoCon series of the season.

The Bulldogs will return to action for the series finale against UNCG on Sunday, May 7, at 1 p.m. Senior Day festivities will commence prior to the first pitch of the contest where seniors from both teams will be recognized.