Softball Welcomes Auburn To Bulldog Field Wednesday At 6:30 P.M. :: The Bulldogs will attempt to pick up their sixth all-time win against the Tigers

The Bulldogs will attempt to pick up their sixth all-time win against the Tigers

March 4, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University softball team will square off against the Auburn Tigers for the first time since March 8, 2006, on Wednesday as the Bulldogs host their in-state rivals for a non-conference matchup beginning at 6:30 p.m., at Bulldog Field.

Samford (8-11) heads into the contest looking to snap a two-game losing streak. At the 2008 Magic City Classic over the weekend, the Bulldogs compiled a 2-3 record, but dropped their final two matchups of the competition against UAB 4-3 and Georgia Southern 8-0 (5).

For its two victories in the tournament, Samford defeated Birmingham-Southern 7-1 on Friday and shutout Grambling State 6-0 on Saturday.

During the seven-team, three-day event, the Bulldogs' Jessica Owens led the team in hitting with a .563 batting average. She finished the competition with two stolen bases and is only one stolen base shy of tying the school's all-time record with 40.

Owens is in the midst of a nine-game hitting streak and tallied at least two hits in four of the Bulldogs' five contests over the weekend. She went 2-for-4 with two runs scored against Birmingham-Southern, 2-for-4 with one run scored against Columbia, 2-for-3 with two runs scored against Grambling State and 2-for-3 against UAB.

Samford's Kayla Burris was recently named an Ohio Valley Conference Co-Pitcher of the Week on Monday.

Burris picked up both of the Bulldogs' wins in the Magic City Classic and finished the weekend with a flawless 2-0 record. She also compiled a total of 22 strikeouts in only 23 innings of action.

Auburn (15-3) heads into Wednesday's in-state matchup having won six of its previous eight games.

The Tigers opened the 2008 season with a nine-game winning streak and are coming off a 3-2 performance at the NFCA Leadoff Classic over the weekend. In the three-day tournament held in Columbus, Ga., Auburn picked up wins against Georgia Tech 3-2, Charlotte 4-0 and Syracuse 6-0.

Junior outfielder Taryn Gray is leading the Tigers with a .365 batting average. Auburn's native of Vestavia has already tallied 19 hits, nine RBIs and eight runs this season.

Samford and Auburn have squared off 14 times since the series began in 1997.

The Tigers hold a 9-5 advantage in the all-time rivalry and earned a slight 1-0 victory against the Bulldogs in the teams' last meeting in 2006. At the time, Auburn was the 20th-ranked team in the nation.

Following Samford's home matchup against Auburn on Wednesday, the Bulldogs will hit the road March 7-9 for the 2008 Georgia Tech Buzz Classic to be held at the Twin Creeks Softball Complex in Atlanta, Ga.

GameTracker - Samford vs. Auburn