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Merritt_Senior_day
3
Furman FUR 19-25, 7-5 SoCon
4
Winner Samford SAM 19-26, 8-5 SoCon
Furman FUR
19-25, 7-5 SoCon
3
Final
4
Samford SAM
19-26, 8-5 SoCon
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Furman FUR 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 8 1
Samford SAM 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 1 4 11 1

W: Newcomb, McKenzie (11-8) L: Sierra Tufts (10-10)

5
Furman FUR 19-26, 7-6 SoCon
6
Winner Samford SAM 20-26, 9-5 SoCon
Furman FUR
19-26, 7-6 SoCon
5
Final
6
Samford SAM
20-26, 9-5 SoCon
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Furman FUR 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 5 7 1
Samford SAM 3 0 2 0 0 0 1 6 12 2

W: Partain, Jordyn (4-9) L: Sierra Tufts (10-11)

Game Recap: Softball |

Samford Clinches Series Win Over Furman With Pair of Walk-offs

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Led by senior Merritt Cahoon on Senior Day, the Samford softball team swept Saturday's doubleheader with Furman in dramatic fashion winning both games in walk-off fashion. 
 
The Bulldogs took game one 4-3 in nine innings before capping off the day with a 6-5 victory.
 
With the pair of wins, Samford moves to 20-26 overall and 9-5 in Southern Conference play. The Paladins of Furman drop to 19-26 and 7-6 on the campaign.
 
In game one, McKenzie Newcomb picked up her 11th win of the year in her eighth complete game of the season. Newcomb surrendered three runs in the start and tied her career-high in innings pitched with nine. The sophomore also struck out eight Paladins. 
 
Grier Bruce paced the Samford offense in game one with a pair of hits including a solo walk-off home run in the ninth inning to win the game. 
 
In total, five different Bulldogs had a pair of hits on in the first game on Saturday.
 
To open the game, the first three Paladins reached base and scored against Newcomb giving Furman a 3-0 lead after the top of the first. 
 
Samford was held scoreless until the bottom of the fifth when Logan Champion doubled off the top of the wall in right to score Sarah Squillace and make it a 3-1 contest heading into the later innings. 
 
Squillace was in the heart of the rally to tie the game in the seventh as the sophomore scored on a Furman error with two outs to make it 3-2. The next batter was Cahoon, who pulled a single through the left side that allowed McKayla Cothran to tie the game at 3-3 after seven innings played. 
 
After back-to-back shutdown innings from Newcomb in extras, Bruce ended the game in the ninth when she launched a 1-0 pitch over the wall in left field for her team-leading 11th home run of the season. 
 
The walk-off homer moves Bruce into a three-way tie with Callie Brister and Abby Sweeney for the third-most home runs in a single season by a Bulldog. 
 
In game two, Jordyn Partain got the win for the Bulldogs in the circle by tossing her sixth complete game of the year. Partain allowed five runs, but none were earned. The sophomore also fanned six Furman batters. 
 
Cahoon led all Bulldogs at the plate in game two with a pair of hits and three runs driven in. The dynamic offensive duo of Bruce and Champion each had two base knocks and scored twice in the nightcap. Lindsey Nelson also had two RBIs in the contest. 
 
Samford started fast in game two by scoring a trio of runs in the bottom of first that included an RBI single by Bruce to push her on-base streak to 12 games and a two-out two-run single by Nelson that scored Bruce and Champion. 
 
The Bulldogs added two more runs in the third to make it a 5-0 game, when Cahoon singled through the ride side to score Bruce and Champion.
 
Furman answered in the top of the fourth by scoring five unearned in the top of the fourth to tie the game at 5-all. 
 
Quiet fifth and sixth innings gave way to a dramatic seventh that started when Cothran singled up the middle to open the frame. A sacrifice bunt from Champion and a Bruce walk brought Cahoon to the plate with one out and Cothran standing on second. 
 
On the first pitch of the at-bat, Cahoon singled back up the middle just past the outreached Furman defender to score Cothran and give Samford a storybook 6-5 victory on Senior Day.
 
UP NEXT:
Samford will look to sweep the series against Furman on Sunday. The finale is slated for 1 p.m. CT and will be streamed on ESPN+. 
   
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). 


 
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