GAME 1 BOX SCORE
GAME 2 BOX SCORE
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford softball team split its non-conference doubleheader with Austin Peay Wednesday, dropping the first game, 4-1, but winning game two, 8-4 at the Samford Softball Field.
In the game two win for Samford,
Ashlyn Barnes went 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBI.
Mekhi Mayfield went 2-for-3 with a home run and one RBI.
Kelsey Royalty hit a three-run home run, in a 1-for-3 performance.
Shelby Maze went 2-for-4 with two runs scored in the win.
Taylor DeCelles (6-12) earned the win in the circle for Samford. She pitched 7.0 innings, giving up four runs on seven hits, and striking out seven batters in earning the victory.
For Austin Peay in game two, Carly Mattson hit a solo home run in a 1-for-2 performance. Kelsey Gross, Emily Moore and Brooke Pfefferle drove in a run each for the Governors. Kelly Mardones (8-4) pitched 3.0 innings, giving up five runs on five hits to take the loss in the circle for Austin Peay.
After Samford took the lead with a run in the bottom of the first inning, Austin Peay came back with two runs in the top of the second inning to take a 2-1 lead.
Samford then took control of the game with four runs in the bottom of the third inning and one in the fourth to take a 6-2 lead. Maze led the third inning off with a triple, and then scored on a single by Barnes for the first run of the inning. Royalty later hit a three-run home run to center field to close out the scoring in the third inning. In the fourth inning, Mayfield hit a solo home run to center field to give Samford a four-run lead.
Austin Peay came back with two runs in the top of the fifth inning to cut the Samford lead to 6-4. The Bulldogs, however, answered with two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to push their lead to 8-4.
Madison Couch scored the first run on an error. Barnes later tripled to drive in
Lauren Lewis for the game's final run.
In the first game for Samford, Maze and
Lexie Higgins had two hits each.
Whitney Hinton drove in a run, going 1-for-3 at the plate.
Annalyn Yantis (4-11) took the loss in the circle, pitching 4.0 innings, allowing three runs, just one earned, on six hits.
Morgan Rackel homered for Austin Peay in game one, driving in two runs in a 1-for-3 outing. Bailey Shorter and Kacy Acree had two hits each for the Governors. Rackel (13-6) earned the win, pitching 7.0 innings, allowing one run on seven hits.
Samford scored first in game one, when Hinton singled to center field to drive in Higgins for a 1-0 Bulldog lead. Austin Peay tied the game with a run in the third inning, and then took the lead with two runs in the fifth. The Governors added a run in the seventh inning to take the 4-1 win.
With the split, Samford is now 15-31 on the season. Austin Peay's record moves to 25-15.
Samford will travel to Macon, Ga., for a three-game Southern Conference series at Mercer this weekend. The teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader Saturday at 12 p.m. (CT), and a single game Sunday, also at 12 p.m. (CT).
