April 12, 2002

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Rebekah Phillips laced a base hit into left-center field in the bottom of the seventh inning to score pinch runner Erin Landsburg from second base and give Samford a 6-5 victory and a spilt in its Atlantic Sun softball double header against UCF Friday night.

The double header was set to begin at 4 p.m. but was delayed 1:45 because the umpires were late in arriving. Once game one began Landsburg and Dottie Cupp began their pitching duel. Both pitchers baffled hitters for eight innings before UCF (37-14, 9-3 A-Sun) scored the game's only run in the top of the ninth inning on an RBI-single by Lindsey Manz which scored Stephanie Best to give UCF a 1-0 win. Cupp (21-3) gave up just one hit over nine innings and struck out 12 to get the victory. Landsburg (9-15) pitched nine innings giving up just the one run on nine hits and fanned four.

Samford (18-24, 3-9 A-Sun) rebounded in the second game pounding out 11 hits. Phillips, Amber Fuller, Deanna Resmondo, and Sarah Godfrey each had two hits for the Bulldogs in the nightcap.

UCF got on the board first as Best hit one of her two solo home runs in the game in the top of the second inning. Michelle Dickey answered with a solo shot in the bottom of the inning. It was her first home run of the season and the second of her career. Best's second homer put UCF up 2-1 in the fourth inning.

The Bulldogs scored three times in the fifth innings. Janet Middleton led off with a single, Kelly Smith reached on a fielder's choice as pinch runner Dana Saffles beat out a throw to second base. Michelle Wright then sacrificed but again UCF failed to throw out the lead runner to load the bases with no one out. Dickey picked up her second RBI of the game with a ground out that scored Saffles to tie the game at 2-2. Resmondo singled home Smith put was thrown out trying to advance to second and Wright scored on a wild pitch to give Samford a 4-2 lead.

UCF tied the game in the sixth when Rachelle Schmidt hit a two-run home run to left field. Samford scored an unearned run in the bottom of the inning but Best doubled home Nikki Green to tie the game at 5-5 in the top of the seventh. On the play, pinch runner Lauren Cooper was thrown out trying to score from first base to end the inning.

Fuller (9-9) picked up the win for Samford by striking out 11 UCF batters in seven innings. Lindy Oakley took the loss in relief of Pysha Simmons to fall to 3-5 on the year.

UCF travels to play Jacksonville State on Saturday, while Samford is off until Tuesday when the Bulldogs wrap up their eight-game home stand with a double header against Belmont which begins at 4 p.m.