Jacksonville, Ala. – In the final midweek of the 2024 campaign, the Samford softball team came from behind to down the Jacksonville State Gamecocks by a score of 2-1 on Tuesday night at Jana McGinnis Field. 
 
With the win, The Bulldogs to improve to 19-29 on the season and finish the year winning back-to-back midweeks for the first time since 2022. Jacksonville State will head into the final weekend of the regular season with a record of 22-27.
 
McKenzie Newcomb picked up her sixth win of the year on Tuesday night in a spectacular relief effort. The junior went five scoreless innings out of the bullpen allowing only one hit and a pair of walks with six strikeouts. Jordyn Partain got the starting nod in the circle for the Bulldogs and only surrendered the lone Gamecock run of the contest in the first inning. 
 
On a night where pitching reigned supreme, McKayla Cothran went 2-for-4 with a run score to boast her already team-leading batting average. Shannon Weems added two more hits of her own including what proved to be the game-winning RBI double in the top of the sixth.
 
In the top of the first, Partain walked around one-out and bases loaded to only allow one run to keep the Bulldogs within striking distance. 
 
The top of the third proved pivotal as Newcomb entered the game in a two-on no-out situation. She gave up a base hit to left field to load the bases before getting a pair of strikeouts and pop out to end the crisis and keep the game at 1-0. 
 
Following the single in the third, Newcomb then proceeded to retire the next 10 Gamecock batters that she faced. 

Cothran jumpstarted the rally in the top of the sixth with a leadoff single to centerfield before eventually coming home to score on a Grier Bruce sacrifice fly to tie the game. With runners on the corners and down to her last strike, Weems laced a two-out RBI double to right-center that plated Logan Champion and put Samford up for good at 2-1. 
 
Over the final two innings, Newcomb only allowed a pair of base runners to stifle the Jacksonville State offense and give Samford a 2-1 victory. 
 
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs will return to Southern Conference play with a three-game series at Mercer on Saturday to conclude the regular season. 
 
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