STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Samford softball team finished up play today at the Bulldog Invitational, hosted by Mississippi State. The Bulldogs started the day by falling in the late innings to Belmont 3-1 before bouncing back to take down Delaware State 10-2. Samford's record moves to 6-9 after the 2-2 weekend.

The Bulldogs faced Belmont for the second time in the oast two weekends. After being shutout by Belmont's ace Maya Johnson last weekend, Brandy Phillips got the Dogs off to a strong start with a leadoff solo homerun. Makinley Turner got the ball for Samford and was cruising, until she ran into her first bit of trouble in the fifth, where she allowed two extra base hits and her first run to tie the game 1-1. 

After the solo homer from Phillips, the Dogs were held hitless the remainder of the game and struck out 12 times. Johnson held No. 14 Mississippi State to one hit yesterday and duplicated the feat against the Dogs today. Turner got two outs in the seventh before surrendering a double and a two-run homer to give Belmont the 3-1 win. Turner went the distance, allowing three runs and six hits while striking out eight batters.

Later in the afternoon, the Bulldogs faced Delaware State for the second time in as many days. Phillips was the star of the show as she hit solo homers in the first and third innings, supporting her own effort as she got the start in the circle. Samford broke the game open in the third inning as they filled the bases and had consecutive singles from Brooke Wildes, Sydnie Ferrant, and Ella Nelson as they scored five runs in the inning and went up 6-0.

Campbell doubled and brought in a run in the fourth before the Hornets got to Phillips for the first time with a two-run homerun. The Bulldogs answered with two runs in the next inning as Olivia Shaw and Campbell walked with the bases loaded to go up 9-2. Samford would add one more run in the seventh on their way to a 10-2 win.

The offense that struggled in game one ended with 12 hits, led by the three by Phillips and multi-hit efforts from Nelson, Wildes, and Katie Hart. Phillips went the distance and earned the win to take her record to 1-2 on the season.

The Bulldogs are off for until next Friday when they take a long roadtrip to the Oregon Classic, where they will face Stetson, Idaho State twice, and Oregon twice.

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