BURLINGTON, N.C. – Heavy rains in the Elon, N.C., area caused a three and a half hour delay and a change of venue before Elon and Samford were able to play its rubber match today, March 25, after splitting a doubleheader yesterday. The Bulldogs (8-23, 2-7 SoCon) won the game, 6-2, over the Phoenix (17-7, 6-3 SoCon) in nine innings at Springwood Creek Park.
Erin O’Shea took the loss (10-4) after pitching 8.2 innings and giving up five earned runs off nine hits, while striking out eight. Samford’s Misha Aldridge (5-11) earned the win after taking over for Shelby Scott in the fifth inning. Aldridge went five innings, allowing one run of five hits.
Both Carleigh Nester and E. O’Shea went 2-for-4 at the plate, while five other Phoenix players combined for Elon’s nine hits in the game.
Samford scored the first runs of the game off a double to left field by Abby Adams to put the Bulldogs up 2-0. Carolina Seay scored from third on the play after a single to start the inning. Julianna Surane scored the other run from second on the play after getting hit by a pitch to reach base.
In the bottom of the fourth, Danielle Lafferty pulled the Phoenix within one, 2-1, with a home run to left field. The over-the-fence hit marked the fifth of the season for the senior.
Charyssa Parent, a pinch runner for E. O’Shea, tied the game in the bottom of the sixth off a groundout RBI by Johanna Spencer. E. O’Shea doubled to start the inning for the maroon and gold and then advanced to third on the throw.
After two scoreless innings, the Bulldogs broke the game open with four runs in the top of the ninth. Samford took the lead, 3-2, on a single to third by Arica Dykes that scored Tessa Frates. Frates, who scored from third, had singled to right field earlier in the inning, advanced to second off a single by Rachel Bickert and moved to third on a wild pitch. Surane then knocked in a two-run double to center field to put Samford up by three. Caitlin O’Shea then replaced E. O’Shea in the circle for the Phoenix. An error by Lafferty allowed one more run to score for the Bulldogs before C. O’Shea ended the half inning by striking out Aldridge.
Elon was not able to answer in the bottom of the ninth and fell by a final of 6-2 in the finale of the three-game series.
The Phoenix will have a bit of a break before returning to East Field for a doubleheader against Charlotte on Wednesday, April 4, at 3 p.m.