GREENSBORO, N.C. – The No. 2 seed Samford softball team opened the 2022 SoCon Tournament with a 4-3, nine inning victory over the No. 7 seed Buccaneers of ETSU on Wednesday afternoon at the UNCG Softball Stadium.
 
BOX SCORE: (PDF)
 
The Bulldogs battled with the Buccaneers the entire game and utilized a sixth and ninth inning rally to break open and claim the victory. Freshman McKenzie Newcomb received the start in the circle and threw 8.0 innings with nine strikeouts while allowing three runs on eight hits. Fellow freshman pitcher Jordyn Partain threw the final inning for Samford, giving up just one hit after four batters faced to earn the win for an overall record of 10-7 on the season.
 
After a leadoff double and single to center field, ETSU took the early lead in the top of the second after Carolina Davis executed a sacrifice bunt to plate Cameron Young prior to a Samford fielding error in the next play that added another run to the board for the Bucs. The Bulldogs responded quickly in the bottom half of the frame, making the most of an ETSU fielder's choice with junior Merritt Cahoon making it home from third and sophomore Ansley Yantis advancing to the corner bag from second.
 
With two outs on the board, freshman McKayla Cothran grounded out to first base on a 1-1 count to push the game into the top of the third where East Tennessee State extended its lead to 3-1. Andrea Sarhatt knocked a two-bag hit to score Kelly Warren on first after she singled the play before, marking Warren's first hit on the day.
 
Freshman Gwynnie Hornibrook made it a one-run game in the bottom of the fourth after she smacked a ball out of left field for her sixth home run on the season. The tides then began to turn in the bottom half of the sixth after pinch runner Lindsey Nelson made it home off a pair of ETSU errors to knot the game at 3-3.
 
With neither team able to find a run in the seventh, it would become an extra-inning battle at the UNCG Softball Stadium with the Bulldogs coming out the other side victorious. Back-to-back singles, courtesy of Amanda Briskin and Sarah Squillace, opened the frame before McKayla Cothran executed a perfectly placed bunt that forced an ETSU throwing error to bring home Briskin for a 4-3 win.  
 
UP NEXT:
The Samford softball team will return to the diamond on Thursday, May 12th at 2 p.m. (central) to face the winner of Chattanooga vs. Western Carolina at the UNCG Softball Stadium.
 
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).