MACON, GA. – The Samford softball team kicked off Southern Conference play with a doubleheader at Mercer on Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs dropped a close opener 6-4 before powering past the Bears 15-1 in Game 2 to snap a losing streak, moving their record to 10-21 overall and 1-1 in the SoCon.
Game 1: Samford - 4 | Mercer - 6
Game one of the rivalry doubleheader saw Samford come out and jump ahead, plating three runs in the top of the first. Joi Hubbard and Olivia Shaw helped ignite the offense by reaching base and scoring on two Mercer errors and a sacrifice fly from Shannon Weems. Mercer quickly answered against Olivia Treece with a four-run outburst in the home half, swinging the momentum back to the hosts.
Treece and both teams settled in for several scoreless frames, the Bulldogs rallied again in the fifth. Brantley Drake came off the bench to draw a bases-loaded walk, tying the contest at 4-4 and keeping the pressure on Mercer. But the Bears flipped the script in the bottom of the fifth inning, launching a two-run homer that proved decisive, putting the Bears up 6-4. Despite strong efforts from Hubbard (two runs and a hit) and Shaw (double, run scored), Samford could not overcome defensive lapses and timely Mercer hitting.
Game 2: Samford - 15 | Mercer - 1
The second game of the series was a big response for the Dogs. Mercer struck first in the bottom of the opening frame, but Samford answered with an explosive seven-run second, seizing control for good. Katie Hart broke things open by reaching on an error that scored two, followed by a two-run single from Hubbard and a two-run home run off the bat of Shaw. By the end of the inning, the Bulldogs had taken complete control of the game as Bond threw two scoreless innings.
The Bulldogs' bats stayed hot, as Hart, Hubbard and Shaw combined for nine runs and eight hits. Shaw finished with three RBIs and a home run, while Hart went 3-for-4 with three runs and two RBIs. Brooke Wildes, Katie Hart, and Katie Campbell each contributed multi-hit games. Pitchers Sara Bond and Reese Hickey combined to allow just one earned run on five hits, closing out the game in five innings via run rule 15-1. The game was the best offensive performance of the season for the Bulldogs as they scored a season-high 15 runs and tied a high with 17 hits.
The two sides are back in action tomorrow and will decide the opening series of SoCon play with first pitch scheduled for noon.
