March 10, 2009

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Jacksonville State baseball team grabbed a four-run lead in the first two innings and Samford couldn't catch up as the Gamecocks defeated the Bulldogs, 10-1, Tuesday night at Joe Lee Griffin Field.

"When you don't throw strikes, there's not a whole lot you can do," Samford head coach Casey Dunn said. "We didn't pitch well. I thought, offensively, we were okay, but when you dig yourself the kind of whole we did, it becomes tough."

Wayne Miller led Samford at the plate, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Mason Meredeth, Brad Moss and Gary Cramer had one hit each for the Bulldogs. Samford used five pitchers in the game, and Grant Sides pitched the first 3.0 innings, giving up four runs on five hits to take the loss.

For JSU, Ben Tootle pitched 5.0 innings, giving up one run on three hits to earn the win. Chase Smith tossed the final 4.0 innings to pick up the save. Blake Seguin, Steven Leach, Jake Welch and Heath Wall had two hits each for the Gamecocks.

JSU plated two runs in the first inning and two more in the second to take an early 4-0 lead.

Samford scored its lone run of the game in the bottom of the third inning. After Michael Johnson walked with one out, Miller doubled to left field to drive in Johnson to make the score 4-1.

The Gamecocks then scored two runs in the fourth inning and four more in the fifth to take a 10-1 lead.

Samford drops to 5-7 with the loss. Jacksonville State improves to 6-5 on the season.

Samford will return to action Wednesday night when the Bulldogs play at Alabama. The game is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start from Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The game can be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the internet at www.samford.edu/wvsu.