Softball Splits Opening Day of Samford Bulldog Classic

Friday, February 24

Birmingham, Ala.

4:30 PM

Samford University

2-8

Southern Indiana

3-1

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Southern Indiana	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	0
Samford	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2

Box Score (PDF)

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
IUPUI	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	2	8	1
Samford	2	0	0	2	1	2	X	7	13	1

Softball Splits Opening Day of Samford Bulldog Classic

2.24.23 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Following an afternoon shower delayed the start of the Samford Bulldog Classic, the Samford softball team caged the IUPUI Jaguars 7-2 in game two after falling to the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles 1-0 in the opener.

The Bulldogs move to 3-8 on the year after the Friday split. Southern Indiana enters the rest of the weekend at 3-1, while IUPUI is 1-8.

In game one, the lone Samford hit of the weekend opener belonged to Ansley Yantis as the Screaming Eagle and Bulldog arms settled in for a pitcher's duel.

Sara Bond got the starting nod but was handed the loss after allowing the lone run of the game in 1.1 innings of work. In a relief appearance, McKenzie Newcomb tossed 5.2 innings of one-hit ball with a season-high nine strikeouts.

The only run of the game came in the top of the second on the heels of a Samford error as Southern Indiana clung to a 1-0 lead for five innings.

Led by Grier Bruce, the Samford bats exploded for seven runs off of the IUPUI pitching staff in the nightcap.

Bruce filled the box score with three hits, five RBIs, two runs scored and a pair of two-run home runs.

The quartet of Newcomb, Merritt Cahoon, Ansley Yantis and Abigail Dorsett each had at least one hit and scored once.

Sarah Squillace and Sarah Katona each drove in a run with a base knock.

In the circle, Lainey Baker nabbed the first win of her collegiate career by throwing a two-run complete game with nine strikeouts scattered across the seven innings.

Following a three-up three-down top of the first, Samford jumped on IUPUI early with a pair of runs in the first off the bats of Bruce and Squillace.

The Jaguars cut the deficit to 2-1 in the fourth before Bruce launched her first of two homers deep into the Birmingham night to put the Bulldogs up 4-1 at the end of four.

Katona drove in the first run of her Samford career in the bottom of the fifth after IUPUI got one back in the visiting half of the inning.

Bruce put the exclamation mark on the evening with a two-run no-doubt home run in the sixth to seal the 7-2 victory for the Bulldogs.

UP NEXT:
Samford will play North Alabama and IUPUI in a doubleheader starting at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday.

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).