SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Samford softball team returned to action for day two of the Southern Conference Tournament today as they matched up with the two-seed UNCG. The Bulldogs fell behind early but came back for the second-straight game as they won 5-4. The Bulldogs move their record to 33-21 on the season after the win.

The Bulldogs gave the ball to Sara Bond to start their second game of the tournament as she made her seventh start of the season and 26th appearance. She breezed through her opening inning of work before she ran into trouble in the second against a high powered Spartan lineup. She surrendered back-to-back two-out solo home runs and walked in a run after a defensive error which ended the day for Bond with Samford trailing 3-0.

Olivia Treece entered and retired the side on her first pitch which allowed the Bulldogs to get the bats to work in the top of the third. Joi Hubbard reached and stole second base before McKayla Cothran delivered the first Samford hit of the game with a triple down the right-field line which brought home Hubbard and cut the deficit to 3-1.

In the bottom of the fourth, Treece walked two batters in a row before being replaced by Jordyn Partain out of the pen. The Bulldog senior got out of the jam and left the bases loaded. The big hit came in the top of the fifth inning as Cothran and Sarah Squillace came home on a three-run homer from Olivia Shaw, her 10th of the season, as the Dogs went ahead 4-3.

The Dogs added one more run in the top of the sixth as Linsey Hargis was hit by a pitch before being brought home on a Joi Hubbard double to the wall in the right-center field gap to double the lead 5-3. 

The matchup featured the two-highest scoring teams in the SoCon, each used the long ball throughout the game. The Spartans hit their third solo shot of the game in the bottom of the sixth as Samford held their lead 5-4. Partain buckled down and took care of the Spartans in the sixth and seventh as she earned the win to move to 15-13 on the year. The Dogs had seven hits in the game, led by multi-hit performances from Shaw and Hubbard who each went 2-for-3. 

The Bulldogs are slated to face top-seed Chattanooga tomorrow as the two sides are the lone unbeatens in the tournament so far. First pitch is scheduled for 9 a.m. with the winner being in the driver's seat as the last unbeaten in the double-elimination event. The two sides met in late April where the Mocs swept the Bulldogs in Chattanooga.

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).