April 3, 2004

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford baseball team was swept in the first two games of its three-game Ohio Valley Conference series with Austin Peay, by scores of 6-2 and 7-1 on Saturday at Joe Lee Griffin Field.

In the first game, Samford's (4-19, 0-5 OVC) Eric Hollis and Joseph Edens each went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Stephen Artz pitched 7.0 innings, giving up just three earned runs on eight hits and striking out nine batters to take the loss and drop his season record to 1-4.

For Austin Peay (18-7, 5-0 OVC), Jared Walker was 2-for-5 with an RBI, and Jake Peterson was 2-for-4. Rowdy Hardy pitched the complete game, surrendering just one earned run on five hits to pick up the win for the Governors and improve his record to 6-1 on the season.

Samford got on the board first in the first game, with the Bulldogs plating one run in the bottom of the first inning. Hollis singled to center field to score Michael Collins for a 1-0 Samford lead.

After Austin Peay tied the game with a run in the top of the second, the Governors took the lead for good with three runs in the sixth inning. Ron Bethke singled to drive in Peterson for a 2-1 APSU lead. Tommy Smith then scored on a Samford error to make the score 3-1. The final run of the inning was scored when Chris Key hit an infield single, scoring Bethke to make the score 4-1.

Each team scored a run in the seventh inning, and Austin Peay added a run in the ninth to make the final score 6-2.

In the second game for Samford, Matt Alling was 1-for-2, driving in the Bulldogs' lone run. Parker Gargis pitched 3.2 innings, giving up three runs on five hits for the loss. Gargis drops his record on the season to 0-4.

For APSU, Walker went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI, while Matthew Ledbetter went 2-for-4 with two RBI in the game. Jeff Mault pitched the complete game, giving up one run on just two hits to earn the victory. Mault's season record stands at 6-1.

After Austin Peay scored a run in the top of the first inning, and Samford tied the game with a run in the bottom of the third, Austin Peay took control of the game with two runs in the fourth inning, and three more in the fifth. Ledbetter doubled to drive in Jacob Crass and Chris Poynter for the two runs in the fourth. In the fifth inning, the first run of the inning was scored when Walker led the inning off with a solo home run. The final two runs of the inning were scored when Crass doubled to score Poynter and Key to give APSU a 6-1 lead.

Austin Peay plated another run in the seventh inning to make the final score 7-1.

Samford and Austin Peay will conclude their three-game series with a single game on Sunday. The first pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Joe Lee Griffin Field. The game can be viewed on the internet by going to www.samfordsports.com and clicking on the broadcast information link.