JOHNSON CITY, TENN. – In a pivotal Southern Conference doubleheader, the Samford softball team extended its win streak to eight games with a 2-0 shutout victory over East Tennessee State before dropping the second contest 7-0. With the split, the Bulldogs move to 25-27 overall and 13-5 in SoCon play with one series remaining.
GAME 1: Samford - 2 | ETSU 0
The first game opened as a true pitcher's duel, with both teams held scoreless through the first three innings. Samford starter Reese Hickey was efficient in the circle, allowing just two hits all game. On the offensive side, Addison Smith provided two early hits and a sacrifice bunt, while Olivia Shaw reached base twice via walks to set the table.
The turning point came in the top of the fourth, when Shaw drew her second walk and was quickly brought home on a towering two-run homer by Katie Campbell to left field. The blast gave the Bulldogs a 2-0 advantage, which would prove decisive as both pitchers continued to silence opposing bats. Samford's defense was tested late, but a 1-2-5 double play in the seventh helped preserve the shutout.
Hickey closed out the game, completing the shutout on just 83 pitches and stranding three Buccaneers on base. The 2-0 win marked Samford's eighth consecutive victory, matching its longest streak of the season and notching the team's seventh shutout of the year. Campbell's home run accounted for all of the Bulldogs' offense, while Smith finished a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate.
GAME 2: Samford - 0 | ETSU - 7
The momentum shifted quickly in Game 2, as ETSU jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning on a three-run homer. Samford starter Brandy Phillips battled through three innings but was tagged for four earned runs. Reliever Sara Bond entered in the fourth but gave up a solo home run to Whitney Boone and a three-run shot to Payton Moore in the fifth, putting the game out of reach.
Offensively, the Bulldogs struggled to generate scoring opportunities, notching just three hits—one each from Campbell, Joi Hubbard and Smith, who doubled. ETSU's Marissa Barnes tossed a complete-game shutout, snapping Samford's win streak at eight. The 7-0 defeat marked just the eighth time Samford has been shut out this season.
Despite the split, the Bulldogs leave Johnson City having won two out of three in the series and remain in strong position within the SoCon standings with just one regular-season series remaining against first-place UNCG.
Samford returns home to host UNCG for a three-game Southern Conference series, beginning with a Saturday doubleheader on May 2 at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., followed by the finale Sunday at 1 p.m.
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