Softball Hosts Samford for Spring Game Weekend Series
4/12/2013 7:25:17 PM | Softball
STATESBORO, GA. – Georgia Southern Softball returns to league play this weekend with a three-game set at home against Samford. The series begins on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. with a Fan Appreciation Day doubleheader. Fans at the game will receive free Chick-fil-A sandwiches between games of the doubleheader. On Sunday the Eagles will honor its alumni in an Alumni Day ceremony which starts at 12:45 p.m.
The Eagles open the series at 20-23 on the season and 6-5 in SoCon play. Samford is 11-24 on the season with a 3-9 mark in league play. The Eagles are 21-10 all-time against Bulldogs including four-straight wins over the past year.
All three games can be seen live on GSEagles.com/watch-listen as well as the live radio call of the games. Live stats can be found on GSEagles.com by clicking on the softball schedule. In-game updates will be published to twitter on the @GSscores and @GaSouSoftball feeds.
Last time out the Eagles split a doubleheader with Samford, dropping the opener 8-0 before taking a dramatic 5-4 win in the finale to steal the fourth-straight doubleheader split between the programs.
Shelby Morrill is hitting .349 to lead the Eagles this season, she has upped that average to .404 (23-of-57) with runners on base. Junior Kourtny Thomas has provided the power this year with 10 home runs to raise her career total to 17. Thomas also leads the Southern Conference with 24 walks this season.
Tabby Douberley has driven in 29 runs on the year to lead the team. She has 80 career RBIs and needs just nine more to move into the top-10 in Georgia Southern history.
The Eagle pitching staff has one of the league’s best stables of pitchers behind a 2.50 ERA and a 9-11 record from Sarah Purvis. She has struck out 137 batters to raise her career total to 412, even with Brianna Streetmon’s career total. Brooke Red has a 2.73 ERA and a 6-4 record. Allie Miles earned the win on Wednesday against Georgia State and raised her record to 5-6 on the year with a 3.10 ERA.
Megan Dowdy, hitting .270 on the year, leads the Samford offense which is batting .217 on the year. Callie Brister is the top power hitter with a .396 slugging percentage and a team-best three home runs. On the pitching side, Samford is paced by a 2.37 ERA from Caitlin Bice. She has an 0-4 record. Misha Aldridge has a 4.93 ERA and a 2-4 record. Shelby Scott is 2-8 on the season with a 5.02 ERA.
The Bulldogs have been without the services Mollie Hanson for the past month after she won seven games early in the season in 16 appearances. Her total of 102 strikeouts is more than the other three Bulldog pitchers have combined.
Next weekend the Eagles travel to face Western Carolina in the final road swing of the 2013 regular season.
Fans can follow their Eagles at GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com or receive short updates at facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics or on Google+ at gplus.to/GSAthletics.
