April 2, 2008

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford baseball team plated five runs in the seventh inning to break open a close game on its way to an 11-6 win over Georgia State Wednesday afternoon.

With the win, Samford improves t 16-8 on the season. Georgia State falls to 17-10 with the loss.

For Samford at the plate, Marcus Rodriguez was 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI. Bear Burnett went 3-for-3 with an RBI, and Michael Johnson was 3-for-5. Grant Sides pitched 3.0 innings in relief, giving up no runs on three hits to pick up the win.

Georgia State's Derek Simmons was 2-for-3 with a home run, a double and two RBI. Nick Hogan, Mike McCree and Dusty Bennett had two hits each for the Panthers. Drew Grant tossed 5.1 innings, giving up six runs on six hits to take the loss on the mound.

Samford jumped on top early with three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Johnson scored the game's first run when Michael Rutledge reached base on a fielder's choice. Burnett then doubled to right field to drive in Wayne Miller for a 2-0 Samford lead. Rutledge then scored on a wild pitch to make the score 3-0.

Georgia State plated a run in the top of the third inning to cut the Samford lead to 3-1. Bennett scored when Jean Michel Rochon-Salvas grounded out to shortstop to cut the Samford lead to two runs.

The Panthers tied the score in the top of the fourth inning when Simmons hit a two-run home run to center field to even the score at 3-3.

Samford took the lead again with a run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Michael Marseco hit a sacrifice fly to right field to drive in Johnson for a 4-3 Samford lead.

Samford added two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to push its lead to 6-3. Rodriguez doubled to drive in Burnett and Tripp Swann for a three-run Samford lead.

The Bulldogs plated five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to make the score 11-3. Swann drove in two runs with a double, and Rodriguez hit a two-run home run in the inning for the Bulldogs.

GSU came back with three runs in the top of the ninth inning to make the final score 11-6. McCree and Bennett drove in a run each for the Panthers in the final inning.

Samford will return to action on Saturday, when the Bulldogs play an Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader at Jacksonville State. The first game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.