OXFORD, Miss. - The Samford softball team opened play this weekend at the Ole Miss Tournament by facing off with North Dakota State twice tonight. The Bulldogs were slated to face NDSU once tonight and once tomorrow but due to weather the schedule has been adjusted to a double-header today. Samford's offense exploded for double-digits in both games as they won 12-6 in game one, followed by a 13-2 win in game two. The Bulldogs move their record to 18-10 on the season after the two victories today.

GAME ONE: Samford - 12 | NDSU - 6

The Bulldogs kicked off their weekend with a strong offensive performance that saw Samford tie a season-high with 17 hits. The Dogs gave the ball to Jordyn Partain who was coming off a strong performance in her last outing at Jacksonville State. Tonight, the Bison got to her early with two runs in the first inning, but from that point on, Partain locked in and shutout NDSU until the fifth inning. 

The Samford senior had plenty of run support on the night after falling behind early. The Dogs answered the two NDSU runs with three of their own in the bottom half of the frame as Joi Hubbard, Olivia Shaw, Katie Campbell, and Grier Bruce all doubled in the inning. The middle of the game was quiet but the Bulldogs scored again in the fourth after Logan Champion doubled and was brought home on a Addison Smith single.

NDSU retook the lead as they scored three runs in the fifth inning, but the Bulldogs got it right back as they with three runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth inning. Shaw and Campbell each doubled again in the inning and the final run came in on Linsey Hargis sacrifice fly as Samford went up 7-5.

The Dogs put the game away in the sixth as they scored five runs off seven hits. Samford put together four consecutive two-out hits as they went up 12-5. After being in a mini-slump of late, Campbell broke out in a big way in game one of the tournament. She went 4-for-4 at the plate with two doubles and three RBIs as she was one of six Bulldogs with multi-hit games along with Hubbard, Shaw, Bruce, Champion, and Smith.

Partain earned the win by going the distance in the circle, finishing with a line of seven innings, allowing eight hits, and six runs, three earned. She moves her record to 7-6 on the season as the Dogs rolled in game one of the night.

GAME TWO: NDSU - 2 | Samford - 13 (Five Innings)

After an offensive display in game one, the Bulldogs kept their hot bats rolling in game two against the Bison. They scored seven runs in the top of the first inning to put away NDSU en route to a run-rule victory. The Dogs did a majority of their damage in the first with two outs as they had five-straight two-out hits including a three-run blast from Logan Champion, here team-leading eighth of the season. 

The Bulldogs gave the ball to Olivia Trout as she made her third start of the season. She shut down the Bison lineup for the most part as she allowed three hits and two runs in her four innings of work to move to 3-0 on the year. The Dogs scored three runs in the third and three more in the fourth as they combined for five hits and took advantage of an NDSU error to run up the score to 13-0. 

Joi Hubbard continues to set the table atop the Samford lineup the past week as she went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored. She was one of five Dogs who had multi-hit games, led by Olivia Shaw who had three on the night to go along with her three RBIs in the game. Grier Bruce also drove in three for the Bulldogs to go along with the three-run blast from Champion.

Trout allowed two runs in her final inning in the fourth and was replaced by Karley Fuller who retired the side in the fifth to end the game and give the Bulldogs a 13-2 victory in the fifth inning.

The Bulldogs are back in action tomorrow as they play games against Iowa State and No. 21 Ole Miss. First pitch against the Cyclones is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. while Samford is slated to face the host Rebels at 2:30 p.m.

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).