TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Samford softball team returned to action tonight as they hit the road to face No. 24 ranked Alabama. The Bulldogs entered riding a three-game winning streak but fell behind early before ultimately dropping the game 9-3. The Bulldogs fall to 23-15 on the season overall but sit atop the SoCon with a 5-1 record in the league.

The Bulldogs handed the ball to Sara Bond to start against the Crimson Tide, as she was the most effective of the three pitchers Samford pitchers when the two sides met earlier this season. She made her fifth start of the season and 17th appearance overall. She struggled in the opening innings as she allowed three runs but also didn't get help from her defense behind her as they committed two errors. 

Samford is coming off a weekend where they scored 44 runs in a three-game sweep of Western Carolina but they were shut down in the first two frames. Bond settled down in the second, retiring the side after allowing just a bunt single and cruised through the third inning before running into trouble again in the fourth. She allowed four runs in the inning and her night ended after a two-run homer. Bond went 3.2 innings, allowing eight hits and seven runs to fall to 5-3 on the season.

Karley Fuller came out of the bullpen in relief and retired four of the first five batters she faced to keep the game continuing past five innings but the Dogs still trailed 7-0. 

The Samford bats came to life in the top of the sixth inning as they scratched across three runs. Katie Campbell brought home Ella Nelson who had reached on an error before Grier Bruce doubled down the left field line to make it 7-2. Brantley Drake came around to score on a wild pitch as she pinch ran for Campbell and the Bulldogs got themselves back into the game 7-3.

The Crimson Tide got two runs off Fuller in the bottom of the sixth as two batters got aboard with full-count walks and came around to score on a sacrifice fly and a single later in the innings as the Dogs trailed 9-3 going to the final inning. There the Bulldogs went down in order as they fell by a six-run deficit. 

The Bulldogs were outhit 9-2 on the night as Campbell and Bruce collected the lone knocks in the game for Samford. Fuller was good in her outing in relief as she went 2.1 innings, allowing just the two runs off walks as she avoided hard contact on the night.

The Dogs are back in action this weekend as they return to Southern Conference play hosting ETSU in a three-game series that begins on Friday at 1 p.m. and has two games on Saturday at 1 & 3 p.m. ETSU carries a 13-22 record and is 2-4 in the league so far this year.