BOX SCORE: GAME ONE (PDF)
BOX SCORE: GAME TWO (PDF)
 
HATTIESBURG, Miss. –  The Samford softball team fell twice to Southern Miss on Saturday afternoon as the Golden Eagles captured back-to-back wins in the doubleheader against the Bulldogs to secure the series win.
 
THE BASICS
 
GAME 1
Final: Samford 0 | Southern Miss 4
Date/Time: Saturday, Mar. 20 | 1:00 p.m.
Location: Southern Miss Softball Complex
Records: Samford (9-13) | Southern Miss (17-9)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED | GM1

• The Bulldogs had a strong start defensively, closing out the bottom of the first inning with a double play after Amanda Briskin connected with Whitney Hinton to earn the outs. Emily Barnett followed up in the circle with back-to-back strikes to open the bottom of the second and eventually closed out the inning with another strikeout to put the dogs back at the plate.
• Alyssa Davis was fourth up for Southern Miss in the bottom of the third and tripled to drive in Destini Brown and Karley Nichols for a 2-0 lead. With only one out on the board for the Golden Eagles, Heather Hill executed a sac fly to right field to push the score to 3-0.
• Southern Miss would add another run in the next inning. Maria Smith tripled to left field and would cross home plate in the next play after Natalie Hurdle singled to second base.
• Both teams held each other scoreless for the remainder of the game to give Southern Miss a 4-0 victory over the Bulldogs in game one.

 
GAME 2
Final: Samford 2 | Southern Miss 6
Date/Time: Saturday, Mar. 20 | 3:30 p.m.
Location: Southern Miss Softball Complex
Records: Samford (9-14) | Southern Miss (18-9)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED | GM2

• The Golden Eagles had a quick start with back-to-back singles in the bottom of the first with the second single from Alyssa Davis driving in Destini Brown for an early 1-0 lead. Lexie Smith would add another run just two plays later after she singled to bring in Davis.  
• Southern Miss continued with its offensive momentum with Hannah Borden leading off in the bottom of the fourth and hitting her fifth home run of the year to give the Golden Eagles a 3-0 advantage.
• The Bulldogs would put the game back within one point in the top of the sixth inning. Whitney Hinton brought in Samford's first run of the day with a sac fly to score pinch runner Abby Dorsett, while Ryan Brzozoski singled to center field to drive in Amanda Briskin.
• However, Southern Miss tripled its score in the same inning after Alyssa Davis doubled to drive in three runs for the Golden Eagles. With Samford unable to rally in the top of the seventh, Southern Miss captured its second win of the day to take the series.

 
IN THE CIRCLE:

• Emily Barnett pitched a complete game one for Samford, allowing four runs on eight hits for her fourth loss of the season. Barnett struck out six Golden Eagles at the plate after facing a total of 26 batters.
• Taylor DeCelles would pitch a complete 7.0 innings in game two, giving up six runs on nine hits to also receive her fourth loss of the season. DeCelles finished out the game with four strikeouts after 30 batters faced.

 
NOTABLES:

• Whitney Hinton recorded her 10th RBI of the season after driving in Abby Dorsett on a sacrifice fly to center field. Hinton recorded two hits, one double, and one RBI throughout the two games.
• Ryan Brzozoski had one of the best hits of the day for Samford in game two after she singled to center field to score Amanda Briskin. Brzozoski now has a total of four runs on 19 hits, one double, and eight RBIs on the season.

 
UP NEXT:

• The Samford softball team will close out the weekend series with a single game on Sunday, Mar. 21 at 1 p.m. at the Samford Softball Field.

 
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS:
For the latest news and information on Samford softball, visit the official website for Samford Athletics at SamfordSports.com. Fans can also follow the Bulldogs on social media at /SamfordSports (Facebook), @SamfordSB (Twitter), and @SamfordSB (Instagram).