April 18, 2009

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - The Samford baseball team was swept in a Southern Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Western Carolina. The Bulldogs dropped the games by scores of 26-5 and 16-6.

With the losses, Samford drops to 14-26 overall and 8-13 in Southern Conference play. Western Carolina improves to 22-15 overall and 11-6 in league play.

The 26 runs allowed in game one are the most given up by a Samford team since a 28-6 loss to Auburn to open the 2000 season.

For Samford at the plate in the first game, Stephen Ballard was 2-for-4. Michael Johnson went 2-for-3 for Samford in game one. Mason Meredeth had one hit in the first game and two in the second to extend his hitting streak to 25 games. David Knapp pitched 2.2 innings, giving up 14 runs, only one earned, on 11 hits to take the loss on the mound.

Western Carolina was led at the plate in game one by Brent Greer, going 5-for-6 with a home run and five RBI. Matt Johns was 1-for-4 with a grand slam and five RBI. Trevor Collias, Ross Heffley and Mitchell Hatley had three hits each for the Catamounts. Corey Martin pitched 7.0 innings, giving up five runs on seven hits to earn the win.

Western Carolina jumped on top first in game one, plating five runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 5-0 lead. Samford came back with two runs in the top of the second inning, but WCU answered with two runs in the bottom of the second to make the score 7-2.

Western Carolina broke the game open with seven runs in the third inning to push its lead to 14-2. WCU then made the score 15-2 with one run in the fourth inning.

Samford plated a run in the fifth inning to cut the WCU lead to 15-3. After the Catamounts added a run in the sixth to make the score 16-3, Samford cut the lead to 16-5 with two runs in the top of the seventh inning.

Western Carolina plated two runs in the seventh inning and eight more runs in the eighth to make the final score 26-5.

In game two, Samford was led at the plate by Meredeth, going 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. David Schulze was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Andrew Jones pitched 4.1 innings, giving up 11 runs, nine earned, on 13 hits to take the loss.

For WCU, Nick Liles was 4-for-5 with four RBI. Greer went 3-for-5 with an RBI for the Catamounts. J.C. Lyons was 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI. Mike Tavernier pitched 7.0 innings, surrendering six runs on eight hits to earn the win.

Samford got on the scoreboard first in game two, plating a run in the first inning to take an early 1-0 lead. Western Carolina took the lead for good with four runs in the bottom of the second inning.

Samford then plated two runs in the third inning to cut the WCU lead to 4-3. Western Carolina added two runs in the fourth inning and Samford came back with a run in the top of the fifth to make the score 6-4.

Western Carolina took control of the game with seven runs in the fifth inning and one in the sixth for a 14-4 lead. After Samford cut the lead to 14-6 with two runs in the top of the seventh, WCU put the final two runs on the scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh to make the final score 16-6.

Samford will return to action on Tuesday, April 21, when the Bulldogs play at Auburn. The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start from Plainsman Park.