CHARLESTON, S.C. – Samford junior second baseman Frankie Navarrete singled through the right side of the infield to drive in pinch runner Gregory Mula in the bottom of the 10^th inning to give the second-seeded Bulldogs an 8-7 win over seventh-seeded Western Carolina in the first round of the Southern Conference Baseball Tournament Wednesday morning at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.
 
Samford overcame an early six-run deficit to come back for the win. The Bulldogs improve to 30-24 with the win, marking Samford's eighth 30-win season in the last 10 years. The Bulldogs advance to play the winner of the Furman-Wofford game Thursday at either 4 p.m. (CT) or 7:30 p.m. (CT). Western Carolina moves into the loser's bracket and will take on the loser of the Furman-Wofford game Thursday morning.
 
Samford entered the ninth inning trailing Western Carolina, 7-5. With one out, Navarrete tripled. With two outs, Hunter Swilling and Heath Quinn were hit by pitches to load the bases. Pinch-hitter Jared Watson then singled to drive in Navarrete and Swilling to tie the game and force extra innings.
 
In the bottom of the 10th inning, Damon Waller walked to lead off the inning. Mula then pinch rank for Waller and moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Danny Rodriguez. After Richard Green was intentionally walked, Mula and Green each moved up a base on a passed ball. Navarrete then delivered the walk-off hit to give the Bulldogs the 8-7 win.
 
"We had some great at-bats," Samford head coach Casey Dunn said. "Jared Watson, who has been a starter most of the year, but struggled lately and was sent to the bench, comes in and gives us the biggest hit of the year. And then Frankie got the big hit in the 10^th to finish it. That was a great job by those two guys of getting hits when we needed them."
 
Senior pitcher Alex Ledford started the game on the mound for Samford and, after giving up six runs in the first inning, kept the Catamounts scoreless for the next six innings to keep Samford in the game. Eric Wright and Mark Donham split the eighth and ninth innings. Andres Gracia (3-0) tossed the 10^th inning to earn the win for the Bulldogs.
 
"Alex was as bad as he could be for one inning, but then put up six-straight zeros after that," Dunn said. "You have to tip your hat to a guy who, obviously didn't have his best stuff, but battled, competed and found a way to keep us in the ballgame."
 
For Western Carolina, Jacob Hoyle went 3-for-5 with a double and one RBI. Jason Smith went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI for the Catamounts. Taylor Durand (0-3) pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up one run to take the loss for Western Carolina.
 
Western Carolina jumped on top early with six runs on six hits in the top of the first inning. Samford puts its first runs on the scoreboard, plating two runs in the bottom of the second inning to cut the lead to 6-2.
 
The Bulldogs closed to within one run, scoring three runs in the sixth inning. Western Carolina added a run in the top of the eighth inning to push its lead to 7-5. The Bulldogs came back with two runs in the ninth inning to force extra innings, and then one in the 10^th for the 8-7, walk-off win.