GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Samford softball team put on an offensive clinic Sunday afternoon, routing Furman 17-1 in a five-inning run-rule victory to complete a Southern Conference sweep. The Bulldogs outscored the Paladins 39-3 over the weekend as they set new season highs in runs, hits and RBI, improving their record to 22-26 overall and 11-4 in SoCon action, and extended their win streak to five games.
Samford wasted no time jumping ahead, striking for four runs in the opening frame. After a one-out walk, Katie Campbell scored on a towering two-run home run by Brandy Phillips to left. Not to be outdone, Sydnie Ferrant followed with a two-run shot of her own to left center, plating Ella Nelson and giving the Bulldogs a quick 4-0 lead.
The bats stayed hot in the second, as Samford erupted for five more runs. Addison Smith and Katie Hart both crossed the plate, with Joi Hubbard driving in Smith on a sacrifice fly. Olivia Shaw reached on a Furman error that allowed Hart to score, and Campbell launched her first home run of the day, a two-run blast to center. Brooke Wildes capped the scoring with an RBI single through the left side as Nelson came home, making it 9-0. Furman managed its lone run in the bottom half, but Samford responded immediately.
Momentum never shifted as the Bulldogs kept pouring it on. Shaw hammered a two-run homer to center in the third, and in the fourth, Ferrant, Hubbard and Shaw each delivered RBI singles. Campbell closed the door on the dominant performance, crushing her second home run of the game—this time a three-run shot to straightaway center—to lift the Bulldogs to a 17-1 margin through four innings. Shaw, Campbell, Phillips, Ferrant, Smith, and Hart all hadf multi-hit games for Samford who had 16 as a team.
In the circle, Sara Bond earned her fifth win of the year, tossing three innings and allowing just two hits with one run and one strikeout. Reese Hickey was spotless in relief, working two scoreless, hitless innings to close out the run-rule victory. Samford's defense was flawless behind them, committing no errors and allowing just three Furman baserunners across five frames.
The Bulldogs remain in a second-place tie with Western Carolina and are two games behind UNCG. The Dogs are back in action on Tuesday as they travel to face West Georgia in a midweek. The Wolves are 13-35 on the season.
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