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Samford forces winner-takes-all SoCon title game
Bulldogs hand Wofford first loss of tournament to force Game 13
No. 1 seed Samford 7, No. 3 seed Wofford 2
GREENVILLE, S.C. – No. 1 seed Samford earned a 7-2 win over No. 3 seed Wofford on Saturday to force a winner-takes-all Game 13 at the 2023 Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Fluor Field.
The Bulldogs (35-23) won their second game of the day to hand the Terriers (40-18) their first loss of the tournament. The squads will now play one more time to determine the tournament champion and the recipient of the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals.
Samford jumped out to a 7-0 lead after 6 1/2 innings and wasn’t seriously threatened until the ninth.
The Bulldogs quickly scored in the first, getting a walk, a single and then Stephen Klein’s sacrifice fly. Samford added three runs in the fourth on a Kaden Dreier sac fly and Josh Rodriguez’s two-run home run before plating two more in the sixth on an RBI double by Lucas Steele and Dreier’s RBI single. Klein’s RBI single in the seventh made it 7-0.
Wofford finally got on the board in the bottom of that frame, as Brice Martinez hit a one-out triple and Cameron Gill drove him in with a single to left.
The Terriers made it interesting in the ninth, getting Trey Yunger’s leadoff single before Dixon Black and Martinez walked to load the bases with no one out. Gill was hit by a pitch to drive in Yunger, leaving the bases loaded, but Samford went to the bullpen for SoCon saves leader Ben Petschke, who struck out the next three batters for his 14th save of the season, which ties for 10th in a season in SoCon history.
Jacob Newman (3-2) picked up the win with a career-high six scoreless innings on three hits and a walk.
Wofford starter Mike Eggert (4-2) took the loss, allowing six runs (three earned) on seven hits and a walk in a career-best six innings.
Steele was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Rodriguez had a pair of hits. Drier, Klein and Rodriguez each had two RBIs.
Yunger and Martinez paced Wofford with two hits each, while Gill had two RBIs.
Samford is seeking its second title in three seasons, while Wofford is trying for its first title since 2007.
No. 1 seed Samford 9, No. 6 seed UNCG 5
GREENVILLE, S.C. – No. 1 seed Samford scored five runs in the sixth inning on its way to a 9-5 win over defending tournament champion and No. 6 seed UNCG on Saturday at the 2023 Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Fluor Field, earning a berth in the title game against No. 3 seed Wofford.
The Bulldogs (34-23) must beat the Terriers twice to win the crown. The squads will square off at 11:25 a.m. with a second game to follow, if necessary.
UNCG, which was vying to become the first SoCon team to win back-to-back titles since The Citadel did so in 1998 and 1999, sees its season end with a 25-34 ledger.
After both teams scored a pair of runs in the fifth inning, Samford blew the game open with five in the sixth. The Bulldogs batted around in the frame, with John Anderson stroking a two-run double, Kaden Dreier hitting an RBI single and Josh Rodriguez drilling a two-run home run to make it a 7-2 contest.
The Bulldogs piled on with two more in the bottom of the eighth, with Dreier hitting an RBI single and later scoring on a wild pitch.
UNCG plated three in the top of the ninth, but the deficit was too much to overcome. Kennedy Jones drove in Bradley Bott with a groundout and Zack Budzik and Mitchell Smith followed with RBI singles.
The Spartans took a 2-0 lead in the fifth on Smith’s two-run triple, but Samford answered in the bottom half of the frame when Lucas Steele scored from third on a double-play groundball and Andrew Bennett hit an RBI single.
Samford starter Will Lynch (5-4) allowed two runs on five hits and three walks in seven innings to pick up the win, while UNCG starter Caleb Cozart (0-5) suffered the loss after allowing three runs on six hits and a walk in five innings.
Dreier was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two driven in, while Jayden Davis, Garrett Howe and Bennett had two hits each for the Bulldogs.
For UNCG, Budzik, Smith, Cozart and Bott had two hits apiece.
Samford returns to the title game for the third time since 2018. The Bulldogs won the title in 2018 and 2021.
2023 SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
May 24 (Wednesday)
Game 1: #8 The Citadel 5, #5 VMI 2
Game 2: #6 UNCG 4, #7 Western Carolina 3
May 25 (Thursday)
Game 3: #4 ETSU 12, #8 The Citadel 0 (7 inn.)
Game 4: #3 Wofford 6, #6 UNCG 1
Game 5: #1 Samford 2, #4 ETSU 1
Game 6: #3 Wofford 16, #2 Mercer 14
May 26 (Friday)
Game 7: #6 UNCG 4, #4 ETSU 2
Game 8: #2 Mercer 8, #8 The Citadel 1
Game 9: #3 Wofford 7, #1 Samford 6
Game 10: #6 UNCG 9, #2 Mercer 5
May 27 (Saturday)
Game 11: #1 Samford 9, #6 UNCG 5
Game 12: #1 Samford 7, #3 Wofford 7
Game 13: #1 Samford vs. #3 Wofford, 2:35 p.m.
GREENVILLE, S.C. – No. 1 seed Samford earned a 7-2 win over No. 3 seed Wofford on Saturday to force a winner-takes-all Game 13 at the 2023 Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Fluor Field.
The Bulldogs (35-23) won their second game of the day to hand the Terriers (40-18) their first loss of the tournament. The squads will now play one more time to determine the tournament champion and the recipient of the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals.
Samford jumped out to a 7-0 lead after 6 1/2 innings and wasn’t seriously threatened until the ninth.
The Bulldogs quickly scored in the first, getting a walk, a single and then Stephen Klein’s sacrifice fly. Samford added three runs in the fourth on a Kaden Dreier sac fly and Josh Rodriguez’s two-run home run before plating two more in the sixth on an RBI double by Lucas Steele and Dreier’s RBI single. Klein’s RBI single in the seventh made it 7-0.
Wofford finally got on the board in the bottom of that frame, as Brice Martinez hit a one-out triple and Cameron Gill drove him in with a single to left.
The Terriers made it interesting in the ninth, getting Trey Yunger’s leadoff single before Dixon Black and Martinez walked to load the bases with no one out. Gill was hit by a pitch to drive in Yunger, leaving the bases loaded, but Samford went to the bullpen for SoCon saves leader Ben Petschke, who struck out the next three batters for his 14th save of the season, which ties for 10th in a season in SoCon history.
Jacob Newman (3-2) picked up the win with a career-high six scoreless innings on three hits and a walk.
Wofford starter Mike Eggert (4-2) took the loss, allowing six runs (three earned) on seven hits and a walk in a career-best six innings.
Steele was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Rodriguez had a pair of hits. Drier, Klein and Rodriguez each had two RBIs.
Yunger and Martinez paced Wofford with two hits each, while Gill had two RBIs.
Samford is seeking its second title in three seasons, while Wofford is trying for its first title since 2007.
No. 1 seed Samford 9, No. 6 seed UNCG 5
GREENVILLE, S.C. – No. 1 seed Samford scored five runs in the sixth inning on its way to a 9-5 win over defending tournament champion and No. 6 seed UNCG on Saturday at the 2023 Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Fluor Field, earning a berth in the title game against No. 3 seed Wofford.
The Bulldogs (34-23) must beat the Terriers twice to win the crown. The squads will square off at 11:25 a.m. with a second game to follow, if necessary.
UNCG, which was vying to become the first SoCon team to win back-to-back titles since The Citadel did so in 1998 and 1999, sees its season end with a 25-34 ledger.
After both teams scored a pair of runs in the fifth inning, Samford blew the game open with five in the sixth. The Bulldogs batted around in the frame, with John Anderson stroking a two-run double, Kaden Dreier hitting an RBI single and Josh Rodriguez drilling a two-run home run to make it a 7-2 contest.
The Bulldogs piled on with two more in the bottom of the eighth, with Dreier hitting an RBI single and later scoring on a wild pitch.
UNCG plated three in the top of the ninth, but the deficit was too much to overcome. Kennedy Jones drove in Bradley Bott with a groundout and Zack Budzik and Mitchell Smith followed with RBI singles.
The Spartans took a 2-0 lead in the fifth on Smith’s two-run triple, but Samford answered in the bottom half of the frame when Lucas Steele scored from third on a double-play groundball and Andrew Bennett hit an RBI single.
Samford starter Will Lynch (5-4) allowed two runs on five hits and three walks in seven innings to pick up the win, while UNCG starter Caleb Cozart (0-5) suffered the loss after allowing three runs on six hits and a walk in five innings.
Dreier was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two driven in, while Jayden Davis, Garrett Howe and Bennett had two hits each for the Bulldogs.
For UNCG, Budzik, Smith, Cozart and Bott had two hits apiece.
Samford returns to the title game for the third time since 2018. The Bulldogs won the title in 2018 and 2021.
2023 SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
May 24 (Wednesday)
Game 1: #8 The Citadel 5, #5 VMI 2
Game 2: #6 UNCG 4, #7 Western Carolina 3
May 25 (Thursday)
Game 3: #4 ETSU 12, #8 The Citadel 0 (7 inn.)
Game 4: #3 Wofford 6, #6 UNCG 1
Game 5: #1 Samford 2, #4 ETSU 1
Game 6: #3 Wofford 16, #2 Mercer 14
May 26 (Friday)
Game 7: #6 UNCG 4, #4 ETSU 2
Game 8: #2 Mercer 8, #8 The Citadel 1
Game 9: #3 Wofford 7, #1 Samford 6
Game 10: #6 UNCG 9, #2 Mercer 5
May 27 (Saturday)
Game 11: #1 Samford 9, #6 UNCG 5
Game 12: #1 Samford 7, #3 Wofford 7
Game 13: #1 Samford vs. #3 Wofford, 2:35 p.m.
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