Samford 10, Alabama A&M 0
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford baseball team plated 10 runs on 11 hits and seven Bulldog pitchers combined for a three-hit shutout in a 10-0, seven-inning win over Alabama A&M Wednesday afternoon at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
Phillip Ervin led Samford at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double, a home run and four RBI. Ervin's homer, the first of his collegiate career, came on a three-run shot in the bottom the seventh inning to give Samford a 10-0 lead and end the game. Gary Cramer went 2-for-3, while Tyler Filliben was 2-for-4 for the Bulldogs. Brandon Miller drove in two runs in a 1-for-3 performance.
Charles Basford (1-0) pitched 1.0 inning, giving up no hits and striking out three batters to earn the win for Samford. Gil Walker, Joseph Burns,Michael Gunter, Rumiko Forrester, Taylor Hammond and C.K. Irby pitched an inning each to combine for the shutout.
For Alabama A&M, Lamar Bridges, Manny Lora and Juan Lopez had one hit each. Eric Brandon (0-1) pitched 4.0 innings, giving up six runs on eight hits to take the loss for Alabama A&M.
Samford jumped on top early with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Michael Johnson and Kevin Putkonen both scored on wild pitches to give Samford the early 2-0 lead.
In the second inning, Samford added two more runs to make the score 4-0. Ervin doubled down the left-field line to drive in Stephen Ballard for the first run of the inning. Johnson then hit a sacrifice fly to center field to drive in Filliben for a four-run Samford lead.
Samford plated two runs in the fifth inning and another run in the sixth to push Samford's lead to 7-0. Miller doubled to center field to drive in Saxon Butler for the first run in the fifth inning. Miller later scored on a wild pitch for Samford's sixth run of the game. In the sixth inning, Miller hit a sacrifice fly to center field to drive in Ervin for a seven-run Samford lead.
With one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, Ballard was hit by a pitch and Filliben singled through the right side of the infield. Filliben then advanced to second base and Ballard advanced to third base on a balk. Ervin then homered to left-center field to make the final score 10-0.
Samford improves to 5-0 with the win. Alabama A&M drops to 0-5 with the loss.
Samford will travel to Jacksonville, Fla., this weekend for a four-game series at Jacksonville University. The teams will open the series on Friday at 5 p.m. (CST). There will also be a doubleheader on Saturday at 12 p.m. (CST) and a single game on Sunday at 12 p.m. (CST). Friday's and Sunday's games can be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the internet at www.samford.edu/wvsu.
#21 Georgia Tech 7, Georgia Southern 4
STATESBORO, Ga. - #21 Georgia Tech (3-2) led 5-0 after three and a half innings before the Georgia Southern Baseball team (3-2) rallied within one run in the middle innings, but was unable to find the magic of Tuesday night falling 7-4 on Wednesday, February 23rd in front of another great crowd of 2,345.
Sophomore Al "Scooter" Williams (Detroit, Mich.) made his first appearance of the season and started in right field, knocking out three singles. Williams, who showed a strong arm all day, threw out a runner in the fifth inning on what looked to be a sacrifice fly, but ended a double play to end the inning.
The Eagles used two home runs and an unearned run to pull within a run, 5-4, after the sixth inning. Steve Cochrane (Mooresville, N.C.), who has hit in every game this season, launched his second-career home run in the fourth inning, putting Georgia Southern on the board. An error, two hits and a fielder's choice allowedBen Morgan (Evans, Ga.) to score an unearned run in the fifth inning.
Victor Roache (Ypsilanti, Mich.) cut the Yellow Jackets lead to a single run with a solo homer in the sixth inning. The Eagles threatened to tie the game and erase Matt Grimes' solid performance on the mound for Georgia Tech when two men reached scoring position in the seventh inning.
Williams led off with his third-straight single and reached second base after one out on a base hit by Michael Burruss (Marietta, Ga.). Eric Phillips (Carrollton, Ga.) moved both runners into scoring position with a ground out to the second baseman that was nearly booted, but a pop up by Cochrane ended the threat.
Grimes started the game for the Yellow Jackets and nearly retired the side in order the first time through. The freshman pitcher allowed five hits and two earned runs in 5.1 innings, striking out only three Eagles in 93 pitches. Conner Kendrick and Jacob Esch threw out of the bullpen and neither allowed a run. Kendrick gave up three hits in 2.2 innings, and Esch picked up his first save of the season after setting down the side in order in the ninth inning.
Justin Hess (Panama City, Fla.), who made his first start of the season on the mound for GSU, set down the side in order in the first inning. Hess worked out of a jam in the second inning, striking out the final two batters after two runners reached scoring position with one out. The sophomore pitcher gave up a three-run homer to Daniel Palka in the third inning. He allowed just those three runs in three innings of work.
Five other pitchers threw out of the bullpen for Georgia Southern with only Joe Lower (West Palm Beach, Fla.) recording more than two outs. Lower ate up four innings and allowed just one run on two hits in relief.
A walk in both the eighth and ninth inning came around to hurt the Eagles and stymie any chance at a late rally. Georgia Tech scored a single run in each inning. A double by Jake Davies in the eighth inning plated Brandon Thomas, who had walked with two outs. DeAndre Smelter led off the ninth inning with a walk and came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Palka.
Georgia Southern will be back in action this weekend in a three-game series against North Carolina Central. The series gets underway Friday night at 6 p.m. and will continue all weekend with single games on Saturday and Sunday, both at 1:30 p.m.
Georgia 6, Furman 4
ATHENS, GA. -- Chase Davidson went 3-for-4 and three RBI and five Georgia relievers combined to surrender only two hits over the final five innings to lift the Bulldogs to a 6-4 victory over Furman in baseball action Wednesday afternoon at Foley Field.
The victory was the first for Georgia (1-3) in 2011 and avenged last year's 10-9 loss to Furman (4-2). The two teams will play again next Wednesday at Greenville's Fluor Field in a 4:00 p.m. game.
Furman's Will Muzika belted a solo home run in the top of the third inning to give the Paladins a 3-1 lead, but Georgia answered with two runs in its half of the frame to tie the game at 3-3. Davidson's double down the left field line off Paladin starting pitcher Nate Smith drove home Kyle Farmer, and Davidson later scored on a groundout by Colby May.
The Bulldogs added three more in the fourth against Smith for a 6-3 lead, with Levi Hyams' two-run home run to right center field highlighting the outburst. Zach Cone tallied the final run, scoring from second base with two outs after Furman first baseman Aaron Thompkins was unable to regain his feet after collecting Jonathan Hester's infield single deep in the hole between first and second base.
Georgia's three-run fourth made a winner of Georgia starter Chase Hawkins (1-0), who worked four innings, allowing five hits and three runs, two of which were earned.
He was backed up by relievers John Herman, Cecil Tanner, Blake Dieterich, Eric Swegman, and Tyler Maloof, who combined to limit Furman to only two hits and a run the rest of the way.
After Muzika's home run in the third the Paladins didn't record another hit until Will Miller delivered an infield single with one out in the eighth.
Furman threatened in the seventh, loading the bases on three walks by Tanner, but Georgia got out of the jam when Blake Dieterich came on and fanned Reese Wade on three pitches.
Miller scored in the eighth on a fielder's choice groundout by J.B. Jenkins to make it 6-4. Jenkins, however, was later cut down at home plate by Georgia first baseman Jonathan Hester, who scooped up an errant throw by second baseman Hyams and fired a strike to catcher Brandon Stephens to end the inning.
Muzika drew a two-out walk in the ninth but the Paladins failed to get to Georgia closer Tyler Maloof, who struck out Wade to secure the win.
Georgia, which out-hit Furman 14-7, also got three hits from Cone and two each from Hyams and Curt Powell. Miller paced the Paladins with a 2-for-3, two-run performance.
Smith (0-1) was charged with the loss, yielding all six runs on 11 hits over 3 2/3 innings.
Paladin relievers Jay Friedman, Daniel Stallsmith, and Dylan Cole held Georgia scoreless on three hits over the final 4 1/3 innings.
Furman will play Michigan State this Saturday in a 4:00 p.m. game at Fluor Field.