March 15, 2008

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University softball team opened Ohio Valley Conference play Saturday with a doubleheader split against the Austin Peay Lady Govs at Bulldog Field. Samford lost the first game 6-4, but bounced back to earn a 4-3 come-from-behind victory in the nightcap.

In both games, Samford (9-13, 1-1 OVC) fell behind early against Austin Peay (4-11, 1-1 OVC) before staging furious late-inning comebacks. In the opener, the Bulldogs rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, but fell short 6-4. Later, Samford again rallied for three runs to pull out a thrilling 4-3 victory in game two.

"I was more pleased with how we played in the second game, but I'm still not as pleased with our play as I would like to be," said Samford head coach Beanie Ketcham. "I thought that Margaret (Carter) really pitched better in the second game and she seemed to improve upon what she did in the first game. She worked hard all game and her drop ball kept their hitters guessing."

In Samford's 4-3 win in game two, junior leftfielder Jessica Owens became the school's all-time stolen base leader as she picked up her 40th and 41st career steals.

With her second stolen base of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning, Owens surpassed former Bulldog-great Michelle Ashley as Samford's all-time stolen base leader. Ashley finished her four-year career with 40 steals from 1998-2001.

Owens, a native of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., also extended her career-high and OVC-leading hitting streak to 12 games. She leads the Bulldogs with a .366 batting average and also paces the team in runs scored (16) and triples (3).

"Jessica is a dynamic player and she just has so many weapons," Ketcham said. "She's outstanding at getting on base and then she's just as good at stealing bases. I think that it's a huge accomplishment to do what she's done so far, especially because she's only a junior. She's going to add many more steals to that record as her career continues."

Austin Peay earned a 6-4 victory in game one behind the offensive performances of leftfielder Tiffany Smith and first baseman Ashley Alverson.

Smith went 3-for-4 with three doubles, two RBIs and a pair of runs scored, while Alverson powered her first home run of the season in the second inning. She finished the game with a 2-for-3 performance and added two RBI and a run scored.

Each team scored a run in the first inning before the Lady Govs tallied two more in the second and added a fourth score in the third frame. In the top of the sixth inning, Austin Peay tacked on two more insurance runs to earn a 6-1 advantage.

Samford rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh frame, but the Bulldogs' comeback came up short in the 6-4 loss.

Seven different players tallied base hits for Samford in game one and junior Kristy Lawrence led the way with a pair of RBIs. The Bulldogs' Kayla Burris (5-5) was tabbed with the loss in the circle, while the Lady Govs' Ashley Elrod (3-4) earned the victory.

In game two, Samford's Amanda Barrs proved to be the heroine.

With one out and the Bulldogs trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Barrs rifled a line drive down the left field line for a game-winning, base-clearing double. Barrs, Samford's sophomore first baseman, went 1-for-2 and finished with a game-high three RBIs.

"Amanda came up with a huge hit for us today and it definitely came when we needed it most," said Ketcham. "She is a key hitter in our batting order and we expect her to get a lot of RBIs for us. That hit should be a big confidence-booster for her and it definitely picked up our team in a tight situation there."

In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Bulldogs' Owens jumpstarted the game-winning rally with an infield single to the pitcher. Seniors Jeslyn Metcalf and Emily Deaux then both followed with back-to-back singles to third base to load the bases.

Metcalf, Samford's talented shortstop from Dothan, Ala., turned in a perfect 4-for-4 outing at the plate in game two. Owens led the way with two runs scored in the victory.

The Bulldogs' Margaret Carter (2-3) earned the win in the circle, while the Lady Govs' Meagan Williams (1-4) was handed the loss.

The Samford University softball team will conclude its three-game OVC-opening series against the Austin Peay Lady Govs on Sunday at 1 p.m., at Bulldog Field.