March 25, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University softball team will conclude its lengthy nine-game homestand Wednesday at 5 p.m., as the Bulldogs welcome their in-state and Ohio Valley Conference-rivals, the Jacksonville State Gamecocks, to Bulldog Field for a midweek doubleheader.

Samford (11-15, 3-3 OVC) is in the midst of its longest homestand of the 2008 season and has played seven-consecutive games at Bulldog Field. The Bulldogs have compiled a 3-4 record during the stretch and own a 3-8 mark at home this season.

Over the weekend, Samford hosted Morehead State in an OVC series and finished the three-game set with a 1-2 record. The Bulldogs lost both of their games Friday, 2-1 and 4-3, but rallied for a thrilling 3-2 victory in 11 innings Saturday.

In their longest game since 2005, the Bulldogs used a game-winning single from sophomore Amanda Barrs to defeat the Eagles in the bottom of the 11th inning at Bulldog Field.

With Saturday's win, Samford snapped a two-game losing streak and avoided the series sweep. All three games of the weekend series were decided by one run. So far this season, the Bulldogs own a 5-6 record in one-run contests.

Samford's 11-inning victory occurred in the school's longest game since a 6-5 loss to Southeast Missouri in the 2005 OVC Tournament.

Jacksonville State (15-8, 4-1 OVC) heads into Wednesday's doubleheader as the second-place team in the conference standings. Eastern Kentucky currently leads the OVC with a 5-1 mark, while Jacksonville State and Eastern Illinois follow with identical 4-1 records.

The Gamecocks are in the midst of a three-game winning streak and have been victorious in eight of their previous 10 matchups. Over the weekend, Jacksonville State hosted UT Martin and cruised to a three-game sweep with victories of 5-2, 8-0 and 6-3.

Jacksonville State senior outfielder Rachel Fleming was named the OVC's Player of the Week on Monday for her efforts in leading the Gamecocks to their series sweep of UT Martin.

Fleming, a 5-foot-3 native of Gadsden, Ala., was 8-for-11 at the plate for a .727 batting average in the series to lead the Gamecocks to their fourth-straight season sweep of the Skyhawks. She either scored or drove in 11 of her team's 19 runs over the weekend, thanks to a team-high six RBI and five runs scored.

Last week, one of Samford's top performers was freshman pitcher Margaret Carter.

Carter, a native of Welaka, Fla., came on in relief Saturday and led the Bulldogs to their thrilling 3-2 extra-inning victory against Morehead State. She hurled 8.1 innings of shutout softball in the win and only allowed three hits.

Carter also came on in relief Friday and limited Morehead State's powerful offense to only one earned run and three hits in four innings of work. She only allowed one earned run and two bases on balls in 12.2 innings during the series.

In one of its most extensive rivalries in school history, Samford trails Jacksonville State 18-26 in the all-time series.

The Gamecocks have won six of the previous eight games between the teams and hold a 6-6 record against the Bulldogs since both teams joined the OVC in 2004. Last year, Jacksonville State won two out of the three games between the teams, including a 7-1 win in Birmingham, Ala.

Following Samford's midweek doubleheader against Jacksonville State on Wednesday, the Bulldogs will next be in action Saturday at noon, as they square off against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels in Richmond, Ky. The contest will be Samford's first road game since March 2.