FLORENCE, Ala. - The Samford softball team finished play at the North Alabama Tournament today by facing the hosts for the second time in as many days. After defeating the Lions yesterday, the Bulldogs struggled to get much going offensively as they fell 5-2 to finish off a 3-2 weekend overall. Samford falls to 16-9 on the season after the defeat today.

The Bulldogs threatened in the first inning as Joi Hubbard led off with a double but was stranded at third as the heart of the order failed to bring her home. Samford gave the ball to Jordyn Partain in the circle to close out the weekend. The Lions got to her in the first inning for a run with a two-out double and again in the third inning for three runs which ended her day. She pitched 2.1 innings, allowing five hits, and four runs, three of which were earned. 

Olivia Treece came out of the bullpen and was able to get out of the remainder of the frame by retiring the first two batters she faced. The freshman was solid in her relief work as she went the rest of the way allowing just three hits. The Bulldogs got on the board in the top of the fifth inning as they put back-to-back two-out hits together. Sarah Squillace singled before Olivia Shaw delivered the big hit as she left the yard to left field, her third home run of the season, to cut the deficit in half 4-2.

The Lions added an insurance run in the sixth against Treece, her lone blemish on the day, but the run was unearned after a leadoff error in the inning. The Dogs failed to get a late-inning rally together like they did yesterday against the Lions as they fell 5-2, managing just five hits in the weekend finale. Squillace had two hits in the game while Shaw's blast drove in the only two runs of the game. With the defeat, Partain drops to 6-6 on the season while Treece moves her earned run average to a team-best 1.93 on the year.

Up next, the Bulldogs have a makeup game at Jacksonville State on Tuesday. The game was originally slated for Feb. 12 but  was moved due to inclement weather against a Gamecock side that sits at 18-7 on their season.

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