Wofford 5, Presbyterian 1
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Pitcher Cash Collins threw a complete game as the Wofford College baseball team defeated Presbyterian College 5-1 at Russell C. King Field on Saturday afternoon. The Terriers scored twice in the first inning and added one run each in the final three innings to secure the victory.
Wofford is now 5-1 on the season. Presbyterian drops to 4-2 overall this year. The Terriers were led by Matt Moore with three hits and Mac Doyle with two hits and two RBIs. The Blue Hose were led by Mack Hite with three hits.
In the bottom of the first, James Foster led off with a walk and he stole second. A triple by Mac Doyle scored Foster and then a sacrifice fly by Konstantine Diamaduros brought in Doyle for an early 2-0 lead.
Presbyterian got on the board in the top of the third when Andrew Williams hit a triple down the right field line and scored on a sacrifice fly by Brad Zebedis for a 2-1 score. Neither team scored in the fourth or fifth innings. In the bottom of the sixth with two outs, David Roney walked and scored on a double to left field by Taylor Rozier.
The Blue Hose left one man on in the top of the seventh. The Terriers added a run in their half of the seventh when Mac Doyle hit an RBI single to bring in Matt Moore for a 4-1 lead. Presbyterian stranded one runner in the eighth. Clark Wise led off the bottom of the eighth with a walk, moved to second on a ground out and reached third on a passed ball. A single by Landon Bennett scored Wise for a 5-1 score.
In the top of the ninth, the Blue Hose loaded the bases with a pair of singles and a walk with two outs. However a fly ball deep to centerfield was caught by James Foster to end the game.
Wofford starter Cash Collins (2-0) threw his second complete game of the season. He allowed only one run on eight hits with one strikeout. The nine innings pitched marked a career high for Collins, topping the seven-inning complete game last weekend against Iona.
For the Blue Hose, starter Bud Jeter (0-1) went 5.2 innings and allowed three runs on six hits with two strikeouts. Rodney Scruggs threw 1.1 innings and allowed two hits and one run. Matt Nodelman threw the bottom of the eighth and allowed one run on one hit.
Wofford will close the weekend with a home game at 1:00 p.m. Sunday against Dayton. Next week, the Terriers host USC Upstate on Tuesday and visit Clemson on Wednesday before hosting Pittsburgh in a three-game weekend series.
The Citadel 5, Old Dominion 2
Charleston, S.C. - The Citadel Baseball team fell behind Old Dominion early on Saturday afternoon at Riley Park in the Homewood Suites Shootout presented by the Charleston Crab House, but scored five unanswered runs to pull out a 5-2 win.
The Bulldogs (2-4) saw a familiar sight early on as they fell behind Old Dominion (5-3) in the third inning, 2-0. The Citadel would respond by stringing together five runs over the next six innings while starting pitcher Austin Pritcher (Charleston, S.C.) settled down and handcuffed the Monarch hitters late.
Pritcher (2-0) danced around trouble in the second inning when he walked the first two batters of the inning. The third inning would not be as kind. After serving up a leadoff homer to ODU shortstop Joshua Wright, he walked Brent Frazier.Christopher Baker then reached on a fielding error by second baseman Josh Pless (Boiling Springs, S.C.) to put runners on the corners with no outs. Pritcher got Nathan Hartman to ground into a double play, with Wright scoring on the play. A strikeout of catcher Edgar Hernandez would end the Monarch threat.
The sophomore right-hander moved to 2-0 on the season as he went 7.0 innings, allowing just three hits, two runs (one earned), four walks and seven strikeouts.
"I felt good out there eventually", said Pritcher. "I really wasn't myself early on. I was trying to do too much. Eventually I felt comfortable and the offense got going to pick up a big win."
The Citadel managed to break through in the bottom of the fourth off ODU starter Phil McCarthy (0-1). Designated hitter Brad Felder(Bowman, S.C.) reached on an error and moved to third on a sac bunt by Matt Simonelli (Orlando, Fla.). After a pop up by Justin Mackert (Cleveland, Ohio), Drew DeKerlegand (Pearland, Texas) was then hit by a pitch before William Ladd (Winnsboro, S.C.) singled to left field to score Felder. Freshman catcher Joe Jackson(Mauldin, S.C.) then roped a double into the left field corner that just stayed fair to score both Ladd and DeKerlegand and put the The Citadel in front, 3-2.
The Bulldogs would add an insure run in both the fifth and the eighth inning. In the fifth, Nick Orvin (Moncks Corner, S.C.) double to left field and came around to score on a double to deep center by Simonelli. In the eight, DeKerlegand and Ladd both singled to put two aboard. Shortstop Calvin Orth (Jacksonville, Fla.) then punched a base hit through the left side to score DeKerlegand for a 5-2 lead.
Drew Mahaffey (Summerville, S.C.) came in to close out the game in the final two innings to earn his first save of the season and the 15th of his career. Mahaffey ran into trouble in the eight with the bases loaded and just one out, but a stellar play by DeKerlegand at third to step on the bag and then throw across to get the runner allowed the Bulldogs to escape unscathed.
"We needed to come out with the bats hot today," said DeKerlegand. "The team is trying to score runs however we can right now. I haven't had the results defensively I wanted, but Justin Mackert has really helped me out and told me just to 'let it loose and relax' and that's what I did on that play in the eighth inning."
McCarthy took the loss in a complete game effort for Old Dominion. He went 8.0 innings, allowing 11 hits, five runs (two earned), one walk and three strikeouts. Wright went 2-for-4 with a triple, a solo homer and a walk to lead the Monarchs at the plate.
Leading the Bulldog offense with two hits each were Simonelli, DeKerlegand and Ladd, while Jackson led the team with a pair of RBI.
"I thought Pritcher pitched extremely well today," said head coach Fred Jordan. "Mahaffey did a good job closing things out for us as well. It was nice to get some two-out timely hits today offensively. Defensively, we are still finding our way a little bit."
The Homewood Suites Shootout presented by the Charleston Crab House concludes on Sunday as Wright State and The Citadel square off at 11 a.m. The Citadel and Old Dominion then round out the tournament with a 2 p.m. start.
#19 College of Charleston 15, Youngstown State 0
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Junior LHP Josh Renfro (Bradenton, Fla.) picked up his second win of the season, tossing six innings and striking out six to lead #19 College of Charleston to a 15-0 non-conference victory over visiting Youngstown State Saturday afternoon at Patriots Point. The Cougars improve to 6-0 on the season, while Youngstown State falls to 0-5. The two teams close out the three-game series tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 p.m.
The Cougars struck for three runs in the bottom of the opening inning and never looked back. Sending nine batters to the plate to open the game, Charleston scored on RBI singles by redshirt-junior 3B Matt Leeds (Boca Raton, Fla.) and redshirt-freshman LF Daniel Aldrich (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) and plated a run when senior SS Jamie Holler (Rock Hill, S.C.) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
CofC pushed across single runs in the fourth and fifth innings, courtesy of a sacrifice fly by redshirt-junior DH Rob Kral (Randolph, N.J.) and a RBI triple to deep center by senior 2B Jesse Mesa (Mirimar, Fla.). A three-run sixth opened an 8-0 lead for the Cougars. After senior CF Cole Rakar (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) led off the frame with a walk and stole second, junior RF Marty Gantt (North Augusta, S.C.) was hit by a pitch and Leeds reached on a base on balls to load the bases. Redshirt-junior 1B Jose Rodriguez (Hialeah, Fla.) drove a 0-1 pitch down the left-field line for a two-run double and Aldrich followed up with a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Leeds.
A seven-run seventh by the Cougars put the game out of reach for Youngstown State as CofC sent 10 batters to the plate, highlighted by a two-run homer to left by freshman PH Brandon Glazer (Hagerstown, Md.).
Nine Cougars recorded hits on the afternoon, led by Rakar's 3-for-3 performance. Leeds added a pair of hits with two RBIs and scored three times. The Cougars totaled 12 hits on the afternoon, the fifth time in this season's six games that the team has reached double digits in that category.
Renfro scattered four hits in his six innings of work, while three Charleston relievers held Youngstown State to one hit over the final three frames. Kevin McCulloh took the loss for the Penguins, allowing five runs on six hits in 4-2/3 innings. Youngstown State hit six batters on the afternoon and handed out seven walks.
The Cougars and Youngstown State meet for game three of the series Sunday, Feb. 27 at Patriots Point. First pitch is set for 1:00 p.m.
Western Carolina 7, Manhattan 3
Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina overcame early miscues to even the best-of-three series with Manhattan College on Saturday afternoon, rallying past the Jaspers 7-3 at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium in Cullowhee.
A hit batter and two first inning errors by the Catamounts led to a pair of runs for the Jaspers and an early lead for the second-straight day. However, WCU pulled even in the third inning and pulled ahead with a solo run in the bottom of the sixth before adding three insurance runs in the eighth to score the victory.
The series rubber-match is set for Sunday afternoon at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 pm.
Freshman RHP Jordan Smith (2-0) scattered six base hits through seven innings in his second career start to score the win for the Catamounts, who halted a two-game slide. Smith allowed three runs - only one of which was earned - and pitched around one walk with three strikeouts.
Relievers Morgan McKinney and Andrew Chilcoat combined to toss a hitless, scoreless eighth inning before Brandon Johnson closed out the ninth for WCU.
Trailing by two, 3-1, in the bottom of the third inning, Cameron Dullnig laced a one-out single through the right side before taking second on a balk call. Senior Matt Johns then doubled down the right field line, sneaking a hot-shot ground ball just inside the bag at first to plate Dullnig for the RBI. Johns later moved to third on a wild pitch before a sacrifice fly off the bat of Tyler White drove in the game-tying run.
In the sixth, senior catcher Stephen Notaro doubled off the "Purple Monster" in left to drive in Johns who opened the frame with a lead-off walk. The Catamounts continued to threaten in the inning by loading the bases but a strikeout ended the potential break-out inning, stranding three.
Clinging to the one-run lead in the eighth, Western Carolina (4-2) added three insurance runs in a frame that had an auspicious beginning. White was plunked by the first pitch of the inning. While attempting to sacrifice him over with a bunt, Notaro rolled one right back to the mound where the pitcher gunned White out at second. Freshman Aaron Attaway then flew out to deep right for the second out.
The inning continued as Dykota Spiess drew a two-out walk with a wild pitch advancing both he and Notaro to second and third, respectively. Pinch hitter Macon Smith then drew a walk to load the bases, chasing reliever Jared Hirschberg. Freshman Cody Jones then drew an RBI walk, plating Notaro and keeping the bases juiced for Schultz who drilled the first pitch of his at bat to left, scoring two and providing the final margin.
Dullnig finished 2-for-5 with a double in the win, accounting for two of the Catamount runs. Johns was 1-for-3 with a walk, likewise scoring twice.
For Manhattan, designated hitter Kyle Murphy finished 2-for-3 with a run scored with four other players recording one hit. Mark Onorati legged out an RBI double in the second inning. Starting pitcher Eric Luksis (0-1) was tagged with the loss after surrendering four runs on five hits in six innings of work. He struck out five while walking four on the afternoon.
First pitch of game three is scheduled for 2:00 pm.
Georgia Southern 12, North Carolina Central 2
STATESBORO, Ga. - Another all-around solid effort from the Georgia Southern Baseball team (5-2) led to a 12-2 win in the second game of the series with North Carolina Central (0-6). Junior right hander Josh Adams (Bath, S.C.) held NCCU scoreless for seven inning and earned his second win of the season, while Brent Pugh (Atlanta, Ga.) banged out four-straight singles in his first career start at third base.
Adams went eight innings and allowed eight hits and two runs while striking out seven batters. Taylor Burke (Statesboro, Ga.) pitched the final inning of the game and worked out of a jam after loading the bases on two hits and a walk.
Michael Burruss (Marietta, Ga.) joined Pugh as the only Eagle to record multiple hits in the contest and drove in three runs. The sophomore designated hitter tripled in the first inning and scored on a Eric Phillips(Carrollton, Ga.) sacrifice fly.
The Eagles scored runs in the first five innings and put the game out of reach with a six run fifth inning. Georgia Southern batted around in the inning and led off with three-straight hits, scoring a run on a Victor Roache(Ypsilanti, Mich.) single.
Pugh drove in Roache with a one-out single before the bases were loaded for the first time in the fifth inning. A walk of Shawn Payne (Stone Mountain, Ga.) forced in the third run of the inning. Burruss plated two more runs on the next at-bat with a base hit. The bases were reloaded after a fielder's choice allowed Phillips to reach safely. Andy Moye (Alpharetta, Ga.), who pitched hit and played first base, knocked in the final run of the inning on a sacrifice fly.
The Eagles scored a single run in the bottom of the eighth inning after Nate Smith launched a two-run homer in the top half of the inning. Georgia Southern loaded the bases without a hit on a fielder's choice, hit batter and a walk. Garren Palmer (Dalton, Ga.) plated the run with a ground out to first base.
North Carolina Central had a better day at the plate Saturday with 10 hits. Dylan Drayton, who led off the game with a single, singled in the eighth inning and scored on the home run. Etienne Farquharson got the start behind the plate and had a pair of singles on the day, including one to load the bases in the ninth inning.
Georgia Southern goes for the series sweep tomorrow at J.I. Clements Stadium. First pitch is set for 1:30 p.m. and freshman righty Will Middour (Atlanta, Ga.) is expected to start on the mound for the Eagles.
Davidson 14, Lafayette 2
Lehigh 7, Davidson 3
DAVIDSON, N.C. - Freshman left fielder Forrest Brandt batted 3-for-3 with a home run and five RBI to lead the Davidson Wildcats to a 14-2 win over the Lafayette Leopards in the first game of Saturday's double-header at Wilson Field. The Lehigh Mountain Hawks held the Wildcat bats in check en route to a 7-3 victory in the nightcap.
Lafayette (0-2) plated a run in the first on catcher A.J. Miller's RBI-double, but Davidson (4-4) answered in the home half of the inning to tie the score. The Wildcats drew three walks to load the bases, and sophomore third baseman Andrew Barnawas hit by a pitch to send in the Wildcats' first run of the day.
Senior RHP Ian Horkley (W, 1-1) retired the next six straight, but Lafayette reclaimed the lead with a run in the fourth on a pair of hits as first baseman Scott Kelleher singled in third baseman Matt Fenster.
Brandt's one-out solo shot tied the score in the fourth. Horkley retired eight straight Leopards, and Davidson added three runs over the fifth and sixth to make him a winner. The 'Cats took the lead for good in the fifth on an RBI-double by Barna, sending in junior right fielder Drew Gadaire, and added a pair of runs on no hits in the sixth. Lafayette reliever Chris Boyce started the inning by hitting sophomore shortstop Michael Zeblo and loaded the bases with another hit batsman and a catcher's interference. Gadaire and senior designated hitterDanny Weiss drew bases-loaded walks to give Davidson a 5-2 lead.
With senior RHP Andy Bass retiring all nine of his hitters to earn the three-inning save, the Wildcats got two more scores in the seventh and busted the game open with a seven-run eighth. Davidson finished with seven hits, including a pair from Gadaire, and drew 12 walks and had six hit batsmen in the game. Gadaire, Weiss and Barna all drove in two RBI, and Brandt led the 'Cats at the plate with a 3-for-3, 5-RBI day.
Corey Shea (L, 0-1) took the loss, despite allowing just three runs on four hits and striking out nine in five innings. He did walk four, throw a wild pitch and hit a batter in the losing effort.
In the second game of the double-header, Lehigh (1-1) used nine hits for seven runs to defeat the Wildcats, 7-3. Davidson cut down a 3-0 Lehigh lead with two runs in the bottom of the fourth, but finished with just six hits, none in the final four innings, and committed seven errors in the field.
Weiss hit a one-out ground-rule double to left and sophomore right fielder Coleman Barron and Zeblo put together a pair of two-out, RBI doubles to put the 'Cats within a score, 3-2, in the fourth. Lehigh answered in the top of the fifth, getting a pair of runs across on three hits to chase starter Ryan Overcash (L, 0-1) and extend its lead to 5-2.
The Wildcats got a run back in the home half as Freeman led off with a base hit to center and scored on Gadaire's sacrifice fly, but the Mountain Hawks did the final scoring of the day in the sixth inning, adding two more on a pair of hits and an error, for the final, 7-3.
Senior right-hander reliever Mike Frongello allowed no hits over the final three innings, but neither did Lehigh's Cameron Phillips (W, 1-0), who earned the win by tossing the final five innings of one-hit ball and striking out five.
Davidson will conclude the weekend with a 1 p.m. game against Lafayette Sunday. The game will be played after a 10 a.m. neutral-site game against Ohio and Lehigh.
South Florida 3, Elon 2
TAMPA, Fla. -- Todd Brazeal's one-out, ninth-inning homer broke a 2-2 tie and sent the South Florida Bulls to a 3-2 win over the visiting Elon Phoenix on Saturday night. The two sides will meet for the rubber match of the series at 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.
With two outs and Seth Canipe on first in the top of the fourth inning, Garrett Koster grounded a ball to short that should have ended the inning, but the throw sailed high putting Phoenix (4-2) runners at second and third. A walk to Cyle Rasmus loaded the bases before Sebastian Gomez recorded the first hit of his career, a two-RBI single to center that put the Phoenix on top 2-0.
USF (1-4) cut its deficit in half in the bottom of the fifth. A walk and passed ball had Junior Carlin at second with two away when Luis Llerena broke up Ken Ferrer's no-hitter with a flair single down the right field line that plated Carlin.
With one away in the last of the seventh, Brazeal singled to right before a walk to Carlin put two aboard. Chad Taylor lined a single to center to drive home Brazeal to even the score at two apiece. The play allowed Carlin to end up on third, but Taylor was gunned down trying to go to second for the second out. Dylan Clark then came on to fan pinch-hitter Jimmy Falla to end the inning.
Elon mustered just three hits on the night, including one from Alex Swim who extended his hitting streak to a career-best 10 games.
Brazeal ended the night 2-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI to lead the Bulls who tallied just five hits.
Ferrer tied a career-high with eight strikeouts over 6.1 innings of work. He allowed just three hits and two runs (one earned) and walked just one. Clark (0-1) took the loss after giving up one run on one hit in 1.2 innings of relief work.
Zach Pietrzyk (1-0) was the winner after tossing one shutout inning. USF starter Andrew Barbosa went 4.0 frames, striking out eight and allowing both Elon runs.
Michigan State 7, Furman 3
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Ryan Jones went 3-for-3 and drove in three runs to lead Michigan State past Furman, 7-3, in baseball action Saturday afternoon at Fluor Field.
The win kept Michigan State (5-0) undefeated and marked the third loss for Furman (4-3) this week.
With the score tied 2-2 in the seventh, Jones doubled down the right field line to score Andrew Carpenter and Brandon Eckerle and give the Spartans a 4-2 lead. Jones then crossed the dish on a Torsten Boss sacrifice fly to complete the four-run frame and give Michigan State a 5-2 lead.
MSU added two more runs in the eighth on RBI singles by Jones and Boss to stretch the lead to 7-2.
Furman pushed across a run in the eighth on a Will Miller one-out RBI single that chased Michigan State starting pitcher Tony Bucciferro, but his replacement, David Garner, limited any further damage by striking out Paul Nitto and retiring Kevin O'Leary on a fly ball with the bases loaded to end the inning.
Furman loaded the bases again in the ninth with singles by Ron Fondu and Will Muzika and a walk by Alex Abrams, but Garner again worked his away out trouble by getting Miller on a fly out to right field to end the game and record the save.
Jones' 3-for-5, 3-RBI performance headlined the Spartans' 16-hit attack, which also saw Eckerle collect three hits. Boss and Scanlon added two hits apiece.
Furman tallied 12 hits, including three by Muzika and two by Abrams.
Bucciferro (1-0) scattered nine hits over 7 1/3 innings to earn the victory. He allowed all three runs and struck out two while issuing one walk.
Daniel Stallsmith (0-1) was charged with the loss in relief. He got the final out of the sixth inning to preserve a 2-1 Furman lead, but the first batter he faced in the seventh, Justin Scanlon, reached on an error and later came around to score on Andy Johnson's RBI single that tied the game at 2-2 to ignited the decisive four-run frame.
Paladin relievers Jay Friedman and Kevin Gottlieb proved ineffective, combining to surrender eight hits and four runs apiece in one inning or work.
Furman's bullpen problems overshadowed a solid outing by Paladin starting pitcher Bobby Lyne, who worked 5 2/3 innings, allowing five hits and a run before departing with a 2-1 lead. He walked two and struck out four.
The Paladins play Cincinnati on Sunday at 4:00 p.m. at Fluor Field.
#20 Miami 10, Appalachian State 0
CORAL GABLES, Fla. -Appalachian State University baseball came up just short in its bid for a series victory at No. 20 Miami (Fla.), falling to the Hurricanes, 10-0, in the rubber match of the three-game weekend set on Saturday afternoon at Alex Rodriguez Park.
Appalachian (5-2), which recorded its first win over a nationally ranked opponent in 29 years with a 7-5 victory over Miami on Friday night, managed just four hits against three Hurricane pitchers on Saturday.
UM starter Eric Whaley (2-0) kept the Mountaineers off balance all afternoon, allowing just three hits and striking out nine over seven scoreless innings. Relievers Javi Salas and Daniel Miranda combined to allow just one hit over the final two innings to finish off the shutout.
ASU starter Seth Grant (Etowah, N.C./West Henderson) matched Whaley pitch-for-pitch until the bottom of the fourth inning. Miami got its first two hits of the game with back-to-back singles to lead off the frame but Grant battled back with a strikeout and a groundout to move within an out of escaping the frame unscathed. However, Hurricane designated hitter Shane Rowland broke the scoreless tie when he hit the first pitch he saw from Grant over the left-field fence for an opposite-field, two-out, three-run home run.
Miami (4-3) extended the lead to 7-0 with four runs in the sixth inning and capped the scoring with three runs in the eighth.
Appalachian returns to action on Wednesday when it visits local rival North Carolina A&T. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. at War Memorial Stadium in Greensboro.
Cleveland State 4, UNCG 3
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Trailing 4-0 entering the bottom half of the eighth inning, UNCG was able to plate three runs, but nothing else as the Spartans fell to Cleveland State, 4-3, on Saturday afternoon at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
Anthony Sambula picked up his first win of the season for the Vikings (2-3) after pitching seven strong innings and allowing just one run on four hits, while striking out five batters. Reliever Tyler Hollstegge was credited with the loss after pitching just 2/3 of an inning and giving up one run on two hits.
The Spartans (3-3) were led by Drew Gehringer who went 1-3 at the plate with an RBI and run scored, while also stealing a pair of bases. Ray Quinones added a pair of hits, including a double, while pinch hitter Eric Brindle added a hit in his only at bat and scored a run.
Zach Thompson went 1-4 for Cleveland State with two RBI and a run scored and Alex Gnezda went 1-2 with a solo home run.
It was a pitcher's duel in the early going as the two teams combined for just one hit over the first five innings.
Gnezda broke up the scoreless battle as he led off the top of the sixth inning with a home run to left field to give the Vikings a 1-0 lead.
A scary situation happened in the bottom of the sixth inning for UNCG. While running the bases, catcher Matt Crump jumped over a ball, but broke his leg as he landed and has been ruled out for the season.
Things stayed that way until the top of the eighth inning when Cleveland State pushed three runs across the plate to stretch its lead to 4-0. Steve Mahler led off the inning with a double to left center and Gnezda followed with a walk.
After the runners moved over to second and third on a groundout, Thompson followed with a two-run single to center field to make it 3-0. Alex Johnson followed with a double that scored Thompson from first to give the Vikings a four-run lead.
Down by four runs and just six outs to play, the Spartans started to mount a comeback as Ray Quinones led off with a double to right center. Lloyd Enzor then had an infield single that allowed Quinones to move over to third base. Gehringer followed by reaching on a fielder's choice that allowed Quinones to score from third.
Gehringer then stole second and third before Trevor Edwards drew a five-pitch walk. A failed pickoff attempt by the Vikings allowed Gehringer to score on the play. Eric Brindle would score later in the inning on an error after reaching base on a walk.
The Spartans and Vikings will meet again on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the rubber game to decide who wins the weekend series.
Jacksonville 4, Samford 0
Jacksonville 8, Samford 7
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Samford baseball team was swept in a doubleheader at Jacksonville University Saturday at Sessions Stadium. Samford fell in game one, 4-0 and then dropped game two by a score of 8-7 in seven innings.
In game one, Lex Rutledge (1-1) took the loss for Samford, pitching 5.2 innings, giving up three earned runs on seven hits. Rutledge struck out eight batters while walking four. Samford was led at the plate in game one by Tyler Filliben, going 3-for-4 and Brandon Miller, who went 2-for-3 for the Bulldogs.
For Jacksonville, Steve Eagerton (1-0) earned the win, tossing 7.0 innings, allowing no runs on eight hits. Chris Anderson came in to get the final out and earn his second save of the season. Taylor Ratliff went 2-for-2 at the plate for the Dolphins. Jonathan Murphy, Adam Brett Walker, Kevin Lehane and Jimmy Howick drove in a run each in game one for Jacksonville.
Jacksonville jumped on top early in the first game with three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Walker, Lehane and Howick drove in a run each in the inning to give the Dolphins a 3-0 lead.
The Dolphins added another run in the second inning to push their lead to 4-0. Ratliff scored when Murphy grounded out to shortstop for the final run of the game.
In the second game, Samford held a 7-2 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, but Jacksonville scored six runs in the final three innings to win by a score of 8-7.
Andrew Jones (0-1) pitched the final inning, giving up two unearned runs on two hits to take the loss for the Bulldogs. Michael Johnson, Saxon Butler and Gardner Richey each went 2-for-4 to lead Samford at the plate.
For Jacksonville, Chris Anderson (1-0) pitched the final inning, allowing no hits and striking out two batters to earn the win. Colin Monagle went 3-for-3 at the plate for the Dolphins. Walker drove in three runs and Ratliff drove in two for Jacksonville.
Samford led, 7-6, heading into the bottom of the seventh inning. Zac Houck reached base on a Samford error with one out to start the rally. After Houck went to third base on a single by Monagle, he scored from third when Ratliff reached base on a fielder's choice to tie the game. Chris Connelly, who pinch ran for Monagle scored the game-winning run on a Samford error when Murphy reached base on a fielder's choice.
Samford jumped out on top early in game two, plating four runs in the first inning. Miller, Richey, Gary Cramer and Filliben drove in a run each to give the Bulldogs a 4-0 lead.
The Bulldogs plated another run in the second inning to push their lead to 5-0. Johnson reached base on an infield single to lead off the inning. Johnson later scored on a wild pitch for Samford's fifth run of the game.
Jacksonville got on the scoreboard with a run in the bottom of the second inning. Ratliff hit a sacrifice fly to left field to drive in Mike Parker to cut Samford's lead to 5-1.
The Dolphins added a run in the bottom of the fourth inning to make the score 5-2. Murphy singled up the middle to drive in Monagle for Jacksonville's second run of the game.
Samford added two runs in the top of the fifth inning to push its lead to 7-2. Stephen Ballard hit a sacrifice fly to right field to bring in Richey for the first run of the inning. Cramer advanced to third base on the sacrifice and then scored on a double steal to give Samford a five-run lead.
Jacksonville scored a run in the bottom of the fifth inning and three more in the sixth to cut the Samford lead to 7-6. Walker scored from third base when Parker grounded into a double play for the run in the fifth inning. In the sixth inning, Walker doubled to left-center field and reached third base on a Samford error, with Daniel Gulbransen, Murphy and Monagle all scoring on the play to bring Jacksonville to within one run.
With the sweep, Samford drops to 5-3 on the season. Jacksonville is now 5-2.
Samford and Jacksonville will conclude their four-game series with a single game Sunday at 12 p.m. (CST).