Samford 9, MTSU 7
MTSU 6, Samford 1
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Samford University softball team split a pair of games with Middle Tennessee State University on Tuesday, Feb. 25. The Bulldogs took game one 9-7 and dropped game two 6-1.

Middle Tennessee State (5-12) jumped out on top first in the contest and scored two runs on a pair of hits from Cheyenne Willis and Samantha Nieves.

The Bulldogs (13-4) cut the Blue Raider lead down to 2-1 in the top of the second on a Shelby Scott RBI double to the left field wall that scored Caitlin Bice from second.

What came in the next three complete innings was the calm before the storm as the Bulldogs and Blue Raiders kick started its offensive engines.

Samford struck first in the top of the sixth with a Madison Dickey double that scored Arica Dykes to tie the game at 2-2.

Middle Tennessee State followed suit in the bottom of the frame to regain the lead 3-2.

Both Abby Adams and Caitlin Bice hit solo home runs to give the Bulldogs a 4-3 edge heading into the bottom of the seventh.

MTSU decided to join the long ball party and tied the game 4-4 on a Nieves home run to left field.

The two squads traded a pair of runs in the eighth inning to keep the game square at 5-5 and send the contest to the ninth frame.

In the top of the ninth inning, Murfreesboro, Tenn. native Abby Sweeney broke the tie with a single to left field that scored Adams. Shortly after Hannah Taylor hit the team's 21st home run of the season to put the game out of reach 9-5 with a three run shot over the wall in left center.

The Blue Raiders didn't go quietly in game one as they plated two runs to make the final score 9-7.

The offensive fireworks from game one fizzled going into game two as the Bulldogs scattered just six hits off of MTSU pitcher Jordyn Fisherback, who tossed a complete game.

The Blue Raiders claimed its first run of the game on an RBI walk from McKena Miller in the bottom of the second inning then tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to extend its lead out to 3-0.

MTSU plated three more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning which was highlighted by a Laura Dukes lead-off home run.

Hannah Taylor tried to inspire a Bulldog comeback and notched her second home run of the day in the top of the seventh inning to bring the score to 6-1.

South Carolina 6, Western Carolina 3
South Carolina 5, Western Carolina 0
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Western Carolina softball (3-8) dropped its doubleheader at South Carolina falling to the Gamecocks (13-2) 6-3, 5-0 Tuesday at CSS at Beckham Field.

With Western Carolina hanging on to a tenuous 3-2 lead, in the bottom of the sixth inning, two crucial Catamount errors allowed South Carolina to load the bases. Ansely Ard led off with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. With one out, a routine pop-up was dropped in the infield allowing runners on first and second. A beautiful diving play by Catamount short-stop Karley Harkey stopped a run and her attempted throw-out at third was bobbled and the Gamecocks had bases loaded. Olivia Lawrence hit a grand-slam to give South Carolina its first lead of the game and secure the win.

Western Carolina jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Freshman catcher Kara Salvo hit the first homerun of her Catamount career when she hit a two-out bomb over the left field wall. Taylor Sigmon and Courtney Price followed with back-to-back doubles with Price's double scoring Sigmon.

The Gamecocks tied the game at two in the bottom of the first.

After a scoreless second inning, Western Carolina took the lead again with a run in the top of the third. Harkey drew a one out walk and moved to second on a single by Salvo. An RBI single by Price plated Harkey.

Junior pitcher Jordan Garrett held South Carolina scoreless four straight innings, after giving up two runs in the first, before the Gamecocks' huge sixth inning. Garrett even worked her way around a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the fifth when she forced a ground out to end the inning.

Garrett tossed her second consecutive complete game falling to 1-4 on the season. She gave up nine hits, one earned run and struck out nine.

Salvo went 3-for-3 in the game with a homerun, an RBI and a run scored. Price had two of the Catamounts' six hits in the game and had two RBI.

Sophomore pitcher Mallory Broome had a shaky start to game two allowing South Carolina to push a run across in the bottom of the first. . Ashlyn Masters and Aiaynie Page led off the Gamecocks half of the first with back-to-back singles moving Master's to third. South Carolina scored its lone run in the first off a wild pitch by Broome that scored Masters.

 South Carolina added an additional run in the bottom of the third. With one out Broome hit Page and she went on to steal second. With two outs, Lawrence doubled to center field to score Page.

Kristen Struett hit a homerun over the center field wall to lead off the bottom of the fourth for the Gamecocks third run of the game. After Struett's homerun, South Carolina tacked on two more runs in the inning.

Western Carolina has base runners in the fourth and fifth inning, both courtesy of being hit by a pitch but couldn't push a runner across. Harkey got into scoring position in the top of the fifth when she was hit by a pitch and stole second but was stranded there.

The Catamounts biggest threat of the game came in in the top of the sixth which began when senior second baseman Makenzi McAteer broke up South Carolina pitcher Julie Sarratt's no-hitter attempt by lining a single past third base.  Salvo drew a two out walk and Sigmon followed with a single up the middle to load the bases for Western Carolina but Harkey couldn't get anything going striking out to end the inning.

South Carolina tacked on an additional run in the bottom of the sixth.

Broome went three innings being relieved by Courtney Buchanan in the fourth inning. Broome takes the loss and falls to 1-4 on the season giving up three runs on four hits. Buchanan closed out the game going three innings and giving up one run on three hits and striking out three.