April 14, 2004

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Samford freshman Parker Gargis hit a double to score Joe Denson and Sam Stewart in the top of the 14th inning to lift the Bulldog baseball team to a 9-7 victory at Birmingham-Southern Wednesday night. The win ends a nine-game losing streak for Samford.

"This was just a great college baseball game," Samford head coach Tim Parenton said. "Our guys didn't give up. We talked about doing the little things, and we got over the hump a little tonight."

Birmingham-Southern (24-10) got on the board first, plating five runs in the bottom of the third inning. Jared Walker singled to drive in Matt Bogue and Michael Wydner for the first two runs. Connor Robertson then hit a three-run home run with Michael Cline and Walker on base for a 5-0 lead.

Samford (5-23) came back with four runs in the top of the fourth. Garrett Rice hit a solo home run to left field, his first home run of the season, for Samford's first run of the game. Richard Bishop doubled to left field to drive in Joe Denson to make the score 5-2. Justin Worthington doubled down the left field line to score Bishop and Joseph Edens to cut the BSC lead to 5-4.

The Bulldogs took the lead with three runs in the top of the fifth inning. Trey Moody reached on an error to score Matt Alling to tie the game. Denson then singled to score Eric Hollis for a 6-5 Samford lead. The Bulldogs extended the lead to 7-5 when Edens hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Moody.

Birmingham-Southern came back to tie the game with two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Robertson hit a home run to left field with Bogue on base to make the score 7-7 and send the game into extra innings.

Each team had chances to score but could not push a run across until the game-winner in the 14th inning.

Samford starter Stephen Artz pitched 9.0 innings, giving up seven runs on 10 hits and striking out a career-high 12 batters, while walking just three. However, Artz left the game after the ninth inning, and Denson pitched the next 4.0 innings, surrendering no runs on three hits to pick up the win. Gargis, in addition to driving in the winning run, pitched the final inning to pick up his first collegiate save.

For Samford at the plate, Worthington went 3-for-6 with two RBI. Bishop was 3-for-7 with an RBI, and Rice, Hollis, Moody and Denson has two hits apiece.

Birmingham-Southern was led by Bogue, going 4-for-6, while Robertson was 3-for-7 with five RBI. Scott Johnson, the Panthers' ninth pitcher of the game, pitched 2.0 innings, surrendering two runs on four hits to take the loss.

Samford will return to action on Saturday, Apr. 17, when the Bulldogs play host to conference foe Eastern Illinois. The teams will play a doubleheader, beginning at 1:00 p.m.