GREENSBORO, N.C. – Day two of the 2024 Southern Conference Softball Championship proved to be a roller coaster for the Samford softball team as the Bulldogs were run-ruled 13-5 by host UNCG to open Thursday before walking off Wofford 4-3 in 10 innings to stay alive in the tournament. 
 
The come-from-behind extra-inning victory over Wofford not only earns the Bulldogs a spot in Friday's semifinals but also pushes the overall Samford record to 23-31 on the year. UNCG improved to 32-24 on the season while Wofford concludes the campaign at 23-24. 
 
In game one, Jordyn Partain took the loss in the circle for Samford. The junior started the game but only recorded two outs before being replaced by Karley Fuller just eight batters into the contest. Partain re-entered the game in the fifth inning to record an out and was in the circle when a three-run UNCG home run ended the game. In total, Partain allowed eight runs on three hits and four walks over an inning of work. 
 
After replacing Partain, Fuller did not record an out but surrendered two runs on four walks and a hit. Sara Bond finished off the first inning and tossed 3.1 innings allowing a trio of runs. 
 
In the blowout, UNCG plated eight runs in the first, two in the fourth and ended the contest with three in the fifth. 
 
Offensively for Samford, the freshman duo of Katie Campbell and Olivia Shaw each homered in the game to provide bright spots for the Bulldogs. 
 
While the nightcap didn't have the fireworks of game one, the dramatics were ratcheted up to a point that even William Shakespeare could not fully comprehend. 
 
In a pitching performance for the ages, McKenzie Newcomb turned in 10 innings of three-run ball to keep her squad alive and to pick up her 10th win of the season. In her seventh complete game of the year, Newcomb allowed six hits and tied her season-high with 11 strikeouts. 
 
McKayla Cothran and Linsey Hargis paced the Bulldog attack in game two with the pair each having two hits and scoring at least once. 
 
Shaw put the Bulldogs out front early when the freshman singled through the left side to score Cothran, who reached with a lead-off single, to make it a 1-0 game after the opening inning. 
 
That score held until the fourth frame when Wofford laid down a series of bunts that led to the Terriers grabbing a 3-1 lead heading into the second half of the game. 
 
In the bottom of the fifth, Samford got back to within a run at 3-2 when senior Lindsey Nelson snuck a ball down the third base line for an RBI double that plated Hargis. 
 
A relatively mundane sixth inning gave way to high drama in the seventh. After Newcomb sat Wofford down in order, Hargis jumpstarted the rally with a one-out single to right field. A trio of pitches later, Ansley Yantis also singled to right field to push Hargis into scoring position. 
 
Following a fly out and with the season down to a singular out, Cothran roped a base knock to left that was deep enough to allow Hargis to score from second base just under the Wofford catcher's tag to tie the game at 3-3. 
 
In extras, Newcomb remained dominant retiring nine of the ten batters that she faced. 
 
With the international tiebreaker being implemented in the 10th inning, Wofford could not get a terrier home from third with one out leaving the door wide open for Samford. 
 
In the home half of the 10th, Shaw, the Co-Freshman of the Year, laid down a sacrifice bunt that moved Sarah Squillace from second to third with one out. Shaw's bunt brought Logan Champion to the plate. On a 0-2 pitch, Champion laced a single to left center deep enough to score Squillace and keep Samford alive with a 4-3 victory. 
 
UP NEXT
Samford is slated for another elimination game showdown with Western Carolina at noon CT on Friday. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.

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