BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford softball team will step back into conference play this weekend with a Saturday doubleheader (Apr. 30) starting at 12 p.m. prior to a 12 p.m. single-game on Sunday (May 1) at Betty Basler Field in Johnson City, Tennessee.
 
The Bulldogs added another contest to the win column this past Wednesday with a 4-2 comeback victory over the Lions of North Alabama. With the win, Samford improved its record to 27-15, 11-1 (SoCon) while giving the Lions just their 14th loss of the season. The Bulldogs are hitting .271 as a team with 23 home runs, 175 runs scored on 309 hits and 151 RBIs. The team is slugging .382, holds a .341 on-base clip and has swiped 44 bases on 52 attempts.
 
East Tennessee State has struggled to find a rhythm this season with a current overall record of 6-42, 2-10 (SoCon). The Buccaneers have found their two wins in league play against Western Carolina and Mercer with a 3-2 victory over the Catamounts and another 3-2 win over the Bears. The Buccaneer's most recent loss came in ACC territory this past Wednesday, dropping a 6-2 final decision to No. 18 Clemson. Freshman Cameron Young leads the way offensively for ETSU with a team-high .295 batting average after firing off 39 hits in her 132 at-bats this season. In the circle, junior Allison Farr holds a team-best 5.71 ERA after giving up 87 earned runs in 106.1 innings of work.
 
COVERAGE:
 
Fans can follow all the weekend action via live stats. Coverage links are available on the Samford softball schedule page, https://samfordsports.com/sports/softball/schedule.
 
SERIES HISTORY:

• Samford and East Tennessee State have taken the field together 20 times with the Bulldogs leading the series with an overall record of 14-6 against the Buccaneers. Last season, Samford claimed a 2-1 series win over ETSU on its home turf in Birmingham with 6-4 and 1-0 victories.

 
BULLDOGS TO WATCH:

• Junior Merritt Cahoon kickstarted Samford's rally against North Alabama this past Wednesday with her sixth double of the season, scoring fellow teammates Shurbutt and Tedder. Cahoon holds a current batting average of .330 with 30 hits in 91 at-bats while driving in 17 runs this season.
• Senior catcher Kolby Holcombe produced a solid performance at the plate and behind it against the Lions, tallying her third home of the season and four putouts. Holcombe ranks fourth on the team in batting average with a .276 clip while coming in at the sixth spot in the league for putouts with 218 on the season.

 
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).