April 14, 2009

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Samford freshman pitcher Kyle Putkonen pitched 7.0 innings, giving up just two runs on six hits as the Bulldog baseball team claimed a 12-2 win over the Georgia State Panthers Tuesday afternoon at Joe Lee Griffin Field.

"Kyle did a great job," Samford head coach Casey Dunn said. "He really pitched well. He had a tough first inning, but then settled in after that. It was a great outing by Kyle, and this is another step forward for what, hopefully, will be a good young arm for us."

Putkonen walked just two batters and struck out two in earning the win and improving his record to 2-2 this season. Grant Sides and Kyle Nichols each pitched an inning of relief to close the game out.

For Samford at the plate, Bo Smith was 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI. David Schulze and Joe Durham had two hits each for the Bulldogs. Mason Meredeth also homered for the Bulldogs, driving in three runs in a 1-for-4 performance. The home run extends Meredeth's current hitting streak to 21 games, the longest for the Bulldogs this season.

Georgia State's Adam Knight pitched 5.0 innings, giving up seven runs on nine hits to take the loss and drop his record to 1-3 on the season. Nick Hogan led the Panthers at the plate, going 2-for-4. Chase Childers and Bradley Logan each had an RBI for the Panthers.

Georgia State jumped on top first with two runs in the top of the first inning. Hogan singled to lead off the inning, and then stole second base and moved to third on a ground out. Childers then doubled to left field to drive in Hogan for the game's first run. Logan singled to drive in Childers for a 2-0 GSU lead.

Samford tied the score with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. With one out in the inning, Stephen Ballard singled to right field. With two outs, Schulze singled up the middle, moving Ballard to second base. Ballard then scored when Smith singled to right field to make the score 2-1. Trey Hayes then singled to right field to drive in Schulze to tie the score at 2-2.

Samford took the lead for good with one run in the fourth inning. Austin Allison walked with one out in the inning. Brad Moss then reached base on a bunt single, moving Allison to second base. Wayne Miller singled to left field to drive in Allison for a 3-2 Samford lead.

Samford took control of the game with four runs in the sixth inning to make the score 7-2. Durham and Allison led the inning off with back-to-back bunt singles. After moving to third base on a fielder's choice, Durham scored the inning's first run on a passed ball for a 4-2 Samford lead. Allison then scored on a wild pitch to make the score 5-2.

Ballard then hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Moss for a 6-2 Samford lead. Schulze later singled to left field to drive in Miller for a five-run Samford lead.

Samford plated five runs in the eighth inning to make the final score 12-2. Meredeth homered to left field with Ballard and Miller on base to make the score 10-2. After Schulze walked, Smith homered to right field for the game's final two runs.

Samford improves to 12-24 with the win, which ends a seven-game losing streak for the Bulldogs. Georgia State drops to 23-12 on the season with the loss.

Samford will be back in action Wednesday night when the Bulldogs play host to Alabama at 6 p.m. at Joe Lee Griffin Field. Samford will hold a Cash Drop, sponsored by Crane Works, following the game. A helicopter will drop money onto the field and fans will be allowed to grab the cash as it falls.

Wednesday night's game can be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the internet at www.samford.edu/wvsu. The game can be viewed online via SoCon TV at www.soconsports.com.

Fans can also view the game online via GameTracker at the link below.

GameTracker For Wednesday's Game