May 28, 2011

Box Score

CHARLESTON, S.C. - The third-seeded Samford baseball team won a 2-1 pitcher's duel against sixth-seeded Appalachian State in the Southern Conference Tournament semifinals Saturday morning at Riley Park.

With the win, Samford advances to the tournament title game, which will be held Sunday at 1 p.m. (CT). The Bulldogs will take on either fourth-seeded Georgia Southern or fifth-seeded College of Charleston in Sunday's championship game. Samford is now 37-22 on the season. Appalachian State ends its season with a record of 33-27.

The tournament champion earns the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Samford has never reached the NCAA Tournament in program history.

Samford's Josh Martin (6-2) pitched 6.1 innings, giving up just one run on seven hits to earn the win. Andrew Jones pitched the final inning to earn his Samford-record 15th save of the season.

"I thought Josh battled and competed well today without his best stuff," Samford head coach Casey Dunn said. "On a tough day, he still found a way to get zero up there. This gives us a chance to accomplish something that's never happened here before."

For Samford at the plate, Tyler Filliben went 2-for-3. Michael Johnson and Phillip Ervin drove in a run each for the Bulldogs, with each collecting one hit.

"This is a great pitcher's park, especially with the wind blowing in," Martin said. "It was really nice to feel comfortable and throw it over the plate. It wasn't my best day, but I can't say enough about our defense. They were behind me all day and were making plays when I really needed them."

Appalachian State's Ryne Frankoff (1-2) pitched 5.0 innings, allowing two runs on six hits to take the loss for the Mountaineers. Tyler Zupcic and Trey Holmes each went 2-for-4 to lead ASU at the plate. Zack Briggs drove in the Mountaineers' lone run of the game in a 1-for-4 performance.

The teams entered the fifth inning tied at 1-1. With one out in the inning, Brandon Powell and Filliben delivered back-to-back singles. Powell then scored when Johnson reached base on a safety-squeeze bunt single to give Samford a 2-1 advantage.

Appalachian State threatened to tie the score in the bottom of the fifth inning. Holmes doubled with two outs and then moved to third base on a Samford error. Jack Myers, however, popped up to end the threat.

The Mountaineers never seriously threatened the rest of the way as Samford came away with the 2-1 win.

Appalachian State jumped on top first with a run in the bottom of the second inning. With one out in the inning, Preston Troutman walked. Briggs then doubled to right field to drive in Troutman for a 1-0 ASU lead.

Samford came back to tie the score with a run in the top of the fourth inning. Brandon Miller singled with two outs in the inning to start the rally. Ervin then doubled to drive in Miller to tie the score at 1-1.

Check back to www.samfordsports.com to find out who the Bulldogs will face in Sunday's championship game. The game can be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the internet at www.samford.edu/wvsu.