April 26, 2008

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford baseball team received two strong pitching performances as the Bulldogs swept Eastern Illinois in an Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader Saturday at Joe Lee Griffin Field. Samford won game one, 5-2, and the Bulldogs took the second game by a score of 2-0.

The third game of the series on Sunday has been moved to 12 p.m. from its original 1 p.m. start due to forecasted inclement weather in the Birmingham area.

In the first game, Jonathan Stephens pitched 8.0 innings, giving up no earned runs on six hits to earn the win. In game two, a seven-inning contest, Trent Hill pitched the complete game, allowing no runs on four hits.

"It was a great job by our guys, and it allowed us to have an entire bullpen ready for tomorrow," Samford head coach Casey Dunn said. "Jonathan did a great job of setting the tone in the first game, and Trent really got better and better as the game went along."

Junior shortstop Michael Marseco was 2-for-4 in the first game and 1-for-3 in game two, extending his career-long hitting streak to 26 games. The streak is the longest for any OVC player this season.

In game one, Bo Smith drove in two runs and Michael Rutledge and Bear Burnett drove in a run each for Samford (26-15, 12-4 OVC).

EIU (18-22, 9-8) was led in game one by Brett Nommensen, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Josh Mueller pitched 5.1 innings, giving up two runs on three hits to take the loss.

Samford plated a run in the first inning and another in the sixth to take a 2-0 lead. The run in the first inning was scored when Rutledge singled up the middle to drive in Michael Johnson. In sixth inning, Marseco scored when Burnett reached base on an error.

After EIU scored a run in the seventh inning to cut the lead to 2-1, Samford came back with three runs in the eighth inning to push its lead to 5-1. Alex Godshall scored the inning's first run on a wild pitch. Smith then doubled to left field to drive in Joe Durham and Burnett for a four-run Samford lead.

The Panthers added one final run in the top of the ninth inning to make the final score 5-2. Tristan Facer scored the game's final run when Ryan Lindquist grounded out to first base.

In game two for Samford, Burnett was 1-for-2 with a home run and two RBI. EIU was led by Curt Resko, going 2-for-2 at the plate. Tyler Kehrer pitched 4.2 innings, giving up two runs on five hits to take the loss for the Panthers.

The only scoring in the game came in the fourth inning. After Rutledge reached base on an infield single and stole second base, Burnett hit his team-leading sixth home run of the season to give Samford a 2-0 lead.

Sunday's series finale, scheduled for 12 p.m., can be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the internet at www.samford.edu/groups/wvsu/. Fans can also follow the game on the internet via GameTracker at the link below.

GameTracker For Game 3