OXFORD, Miss. - The Samford softball team took a break from Southern Conference play tonight as they hit the road to face Ole Miss in a midweek game. The Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead before the SEC side battled back to defeat Samford 6-2. The Bulldogs fall to 17-24 overall after the defeat.

The Bulldogs came out on the attack immediately at Ole Miss in the first inning. Joi Hubbard reached base on an error, followed by an Olivia Shaw walk, before Hubbard scored on a wild pitch to put the Dogs up 1-0. Brandy Phillips doubled off the left field wall to score Shaw as Samford doubled their lead and made it 2-0 in the first inning.

Samford gave the ball to freshman Reese Hickey who surrendered a run in the home half of the inning as her defense let her down with two errors in the field. She settled in as she retired the side in order in the second and the third innings before the home side tied the game 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth.

The bats from the Dogs went quiet in the middle innings, outside of a Shaw double off the wall in the third that narrowly missed leaving the yard. Samford had Katie Hart in scoring position in the fifth, but Shaw and Katie Campbell went down on strikes to strand Hart. The big blow came in the bottom of the fifth, as the Rebels hit a three-run homer with two outs to go up 5-2 and end Hickey's night. She finished with a line of 4.2 innings, five hits, and four earned runs.

The home side added a solo homer off Sara Bond in the sixth to make the game the final 6-2 score. The Bulldogs were outhit 8-4 after their quick start, as Shaw and Phillips had extra-base hits. 

The Bulldogs return to conference play this weekend, as they host Western Carolina on Saturday and Sunday for a three-game set. The Bulldogs sit in second place in the SoCon while the Catamounts are a game behind in third. First pitch is set for Saturday at 1 p.m.

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).