BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – To open the final homestand for the 2024 season, the Samford softball team downed the No. 18 Mississippi State Bulldogs 3-2 in walk-off fashion at Samford Softball Stadium on Wednesday evening. 

The Bulldog victory over Mississippi State is Samford's first win over a ranked opponent since besting No. 23 South Alabama in 2016. It is also the first win over an SEC at home since knocking off the same Mississippi State program in 2007 and the first ranked home triumph since joining the Southern Conference in 2009. 

With the win, Samford improves to 17-27 on the season. Mississippi State returns to SEC play with a record of 30-14. 

McKenzie Newcomb picked up her fourth win of the season on Wednesday in relief duty. The reigning SoCon Pitcher of the Year tossed the final three innings in the upset victory only allowing a single hit in the top of the seventh. 

Junior Jordyn Partain got the starting node in the circle for Samford but was dealt a no-decision despite only surrendering two runs on two hits in four innings of work. 

Offensively, Olivia Shaw played hero for the Bulldogs on Wednesday as the freshman went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and the game-winning RBI double in the bottom of the seventh. Shaw's night also pushed her season-high hit streak to 10 games. 

The two Bulldog squads played to a stalemate over the first three innings as the only two hits of the contest up until that point belonged to Samford. 

Everything changed in the top of the fourth when Mississippi State clawed across the first two runs of the game on an RBI single that resulted in a rundown that also let another run score to give the visiting Bulldogs a 2-0 lead. 

Not to be outdone, Samford answered immediately in the home half of the fourth. The rally started in full when Logan Champion ricocheted an infield single off the leg of the Mississippi State pitcher. Two batters later, Shaw tomahawked her third home run of the season over the fence in left field to score Champion and tie the game at 2-2. 
 
Following the fourth-inning fireworks, Newcomb had a 1-2-3 frame in the fifth, worked around a leadoff error in the sixth and stranded a single in the seventh to keep the game tied heading into the bottom of the seventh. 

With three outs to play with before extras, Katie Campbell slapped the first pitch of the inning through the left side for a single to bring up Shaw. After reaching base, Campbell was pinch ran for with the speedy senior Lindsey Nelson. 

On the fourth pitch of the at-bat, Shaw belted a double to right-center that got to the wall and allowed Nelson to score the game-winning run for the 3-2 victory. 

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs return to Samford Softball Stadium and SoCon play on Saturday with an opening doubleheader of Senior Weekend against Western Carolina. 

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