MACON, Ga. – On a day where freshman infielder Katie Campbell set a new Samford Softball record for RBIs in a season, the Bulldogs split a Saturday doubleheader with the Mercer Bears by dropping game one 7-5 before taking the nightcap 2-1 in nine innings at Sikes Field. 
 
The doubleheader moves Samford to 20-30 overall and 11-9 in the Southern Conference for the regular season finale on Sunday. Mercer will enter the weekend finale sitting at 22-27 and 11-9. 
 
In the historic game one, Jordyn Partain started in the circle for the Bulldogs and was dealt the loss after allowing seven runs on six hits in six innings of work. The junior also fanned three Bears and walked six. 
 
The top-of-the-lineup duo of McKayla Cothran and Sarah Squillace each went for 2-for-4 in the series opener while Campbell drove in three of the five Bulldog runs with a three-run home run in the fifth inning to break the previous record of 45 RBIs by Whitney Hinton in 2019. 
 
Mercer sprinted out to an early lead when the Bears starched across a run in the first with an RBI single before a two-run home run in the third made it a 3-0 contest with nine outs in the books. 
 
Samford answered in the top of the fourth when Addison Smith, who was pinch running for Campbell, scampered home to make it 3-1 on a Linsey Hargis sacrifice fly. 
 
After Partain worked her way out of a jam in the bottom of the fourth, the Samford bats came alive in the fifth with three straight singles from Squillace, Olivia Shaw and Logan Champion to open the frame. Squillace came home to score on the Champion base knock that brought Campbell to the dish.
 
The freshman made history on a 1-1 pitch when she launched a dinger over the wall in center field for her record-setting 45th, 46th and 47th RBIs of the season. The three-run blast also gave the Bulldogs a 5-3 advantage heading to the final two frames. 
 
In the bottom of the sixth, Mercer loaded the bases with two outs and then promptly unloaded with a grand slam to take a 7-5 lead. The Bulldogs went down in order in the top of the seventh for Mercer to take game one. 
 
In game two, McKenzie Newcomb turned in one of her best performances of the season as the junior went nine strong innings of three-hit, one-run ball for her seventh win of the year. Newcomb also struck out seven Bears on the afternoon. 
 
Offensively, the trio of Cothran, Squillace and Campbell each had a pair of hits in the nightcap while Ansley Yantis played hero with a solo home run in the top of the ninth.
 
A pitcher's due the until the later innings, Newcomb at one point retired 16-straight Bears between the first and sixth innings.  
 
In the sixth inning, Squillace scored on an RBI single to left field off the bat of Campbell to put the visiting Bulldogs up 1-0.
 
With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Mercer tied it up with a solo home run of off Newcomb to force extras. 
 
A routine eighth inning gave way to the ninth where Yantis' first home run since May 12, 2023, against Mercer in the SoCon Tournament gave the nightcap to Samford and evened the series. 
 
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs and Bears will face off on Sunday for the regular season finale at noon CT. The game will not be streamed due to Mercer hosting the Big South Women's Lacrosse Championship Game. 
 
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