BOX SCORE (PDF)
GREENSBORO, N.C.— The fifth-seeded Samford softball team advanced in the Southern Conference Tournament with a 10-6 victory over second-seeded Mercer Friday morning at the UNCG Softball Stadium.
With the win, Samford improves to 19-37, and the Bulldogs will take on third-seeded Furman later Friday afternoon. Mercer ends its season with a record of 33-19.
Samford plated 10 runs on 10 hits to earn the win.
Ryan Brzozoski went 3-for-3 with two RBI.
Lexie Higgins homered and drove in two runs, going 1-for-2 at the plate.
Kelsey Royalty went 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Hannah Trombley and
Mekhi Mayfield also drove in two runs each for the Bulldogs.
"I thought, one-through-nine they did really well," Samford head coach
Mandy Burford said of her lineup. "I thought we worked ourselves into good counts, even when we fell behind 0-2, we managed to work it back into a positive count, take our walks when she gave them to us, and hit their pitches. I think we did a really good job of going with the pitch both ways, and sitting back on a couple of change-ups."
Taylor DeCelles (9-12) pitched the complete game to earn the win in the circle for Samford. She tossed 7.0 innings, allowing six runs, five earned, on eight hits.
"Taylor did great," Burford said. "Her off-speeds were working and I was really proud of what she did."
Mercer was led at the plate by Megan Rud went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. Caroline Taylor also homered for the Bears, going 1-for-3 with one RBI. Megan Bilgri (10-10) took the loss in the circle for Mercer. She pitched 6.0 innings, giving up four runs on seven hits.
Samford jumped on top first with two runs in the first inning on a two-run home run by Higgins for an early Bulldog lead. The Bulldogs added two more runs in the third inning to push the lead to 4-0, with Brzozoski and Trombley driving in a run each for Samford in the inning.
After Mercer plated a run in the third inning and another in the fourth, Samford broke the game open with four runs in the top of the fifth inning to make the score 8-2. Mayfield drove in two runs, while Royalty and
Whitney Hinton drove in a run each to give Samford a six-run lead.
Mercer added two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, but Samford answered with two runs of its own in the top of the sixth inning for a 10-4 lead. Brzozoski and Trombley drove in a run each in the inning for Samford. Mercer plated two final runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to make the final score 10-6.
Samford's game against Furman will start at approximately 4 p.m. (CT). Links to follow the game are below.
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