March 11, 2012

Box Score

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Samford senior first baseman Saxon Butler went 4-for-5 with two home runs and three RBI to lead the Bulldog baseball team to a 10-1 Southern Conference win at UNC Greensboro on Sunday.

The win gives Samford the series win in its first SoCon series of the season, two games to one. The Bulldogs improve to 11-5 overall and 2-1 in Southern Conference play. UNC Greensboro drops to 10-5 overall and 1-2 in league play.

Behind Butler at the plate for Samford, Phillip Ervin went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI. Tommy Corbin went 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Brandon Miller went 2-for-4 with a double.

"I wasn't by any means trying to hit them out, I just squared them up and put good swings on them and good things happened," Butler said of his two home runs.

Josh Martin (4-0) pitched 7.0 innings, giving up one run on four hits to earn the win on the mound for Samford. Martin struck out four batters and allowed no walks in the win. Arthur Strauss and C.K. Irby pitched the final 2.0 innings to close out the game for the Bulldogs.

For UNC Greensboro, Thomas Troelstrup drove in the Spartans' lone run in a 1-for-3 performance. Nick Chapman went 2-for-3 at the plate for UNC Greensboro. Max Povse (1-2) pitched 3.1 innings, allowing six runs on eight hits to take the loss for the Spartans.

Samford plated one run in each of the first three innings to jump out to a 3-0 lead. In the first inning, Butler hit a solo home run for his first homer of the day and to give Samford the early 1-0 lead.

In the second inning, Ervin doubled to lead off the inning and later scored on a single by Corbin to make the score 2-0. The run in the third inning was scored when Butler homered for the second time in the game, a solo shot to left field, for a three-run Samford lead.

The Bulldogs broke the game open with six runs in the third inning to make the score 9-0. Brad Moss and Ervin drove in two runs each in the third inning to help the Bulldogs take control of the game. Butler and Zeth Stone also drove in a run each in the third inning as Samford built a commanding nine-run lead.

Samford added a run in the top of the sixth inning. Moss walked to lead off the inning. The Bulldogs' senior catcher later scored on a UNC Greensboro error to push Samford's lead to 10-0.

UNC Greensboro got on the scoreboard with a run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Cole Harrison reached base on a fielder's choice to get things started for the Spartans. With two outs in the inning, Troelstrup doubled to drive in Harrison to make the score 10-1.

Samford will return to action on Wednesday, March 14, when the Bulldogs play at Alabama. The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start from Tuscaloosa, Ala.