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JACKSONVILLE, Ala. -- The Samford University baseball team extended its winning streak against in-state opponents to nine-consecutive games Tuesday as the Bulldogs held on for a 7-6 triumph over the Jacksonville State Gamecocks in a key midweek, non-conference contest held at JSU's Rudy Abbott Field.
 
"I don't know how we won that game," said Samford head coach Casey Dunn. "I sit here feeling like we just lost by six or seven runs. I felt like we got outplayed pretty much from the start of the game on, but obviously we found a way to win. That is comforting, because so many times this year we weren't able to find a way to win a close game, but I thought they outplayed us.
 
"They had much better at-bats tonight than we did, and they played a little cleaner than we did, but again we found a way to win and that's encouraging, especially with a big weekend coming up."
 
With the win, Samford (14-11) remained undefeated against in-state opponents this season and improved their record to 5-0 versus teams from Alabama. The Bulldogs haven't been defeated by an in-state opponent in nearly a year, dating all the way back to April 7, 2015, when they lost at home against Alabama.
 
Jacksonville State (16-7), which boasts a perfect 9-0 record in Ohio Valley Conference play this season, suffered only its second loss since March 11. The Gamecocks have been triumphant in 10 of their last 12 games, with both of the setbacks coming against Samford.
 
Under Dunn, the Bulldogs own a 13-19 record versus Jacksonville State, but Samford has been victorious in nine of the last 11 in the series.
 
"Prior to winning nine of the last 11, I think we lost about 20 in a row to this team," Dunn said. "Since we've been here, this has been a series filled with streaks, so hopefully we can keep this thing rolling, but they have a really good club. I'm as impressed with their lineup as anybody else that we've played this year. We can definitely see why they're running through the OVC right now."
 
In Tuesday's victory, Samford's Alex Lee went 4-for-5 at the plate and drove in the game-winning run in the top of the ninth inning.
 
"Alex obviously had a great night," Dunn said. "He had four hits and several of them were big hits to start a rally or to close it out. We have more explosive guys and we have higher prospects on the team, but Alex is our best hitter and I think it really showed tonight with his approach."
 
At the time, the Bulldogs held a 6-5 advantage as junior Heath Quinn drew a one-out walk. Quinn advanced to second base on a wild pitch and motored home to make the score 7-5 as Lee roped a double down the left-field line. Lee's key RBI proved to be even bigger in the ninth inning as Jacksonville State's Josh Bobo rapped his second solo home run of the game.
 
Bobo's round-tripper trimmed Samford's lead to 7-6, but the Bulldogs' closer Josh Rich was able buckle down and get the next three guys out to tally his third save of the season.
 
Junior Mikhail Cazenave started for Samford on Tuesday and proved to be the first of seven to top the mound for the Bulldogs. Cazenave struck out a pair of Gamecocks and allowed three earned runs on eight hits allowed.
 
Jacksonville State later tallied a single earned run off Tanner Cunningham in the sixth inning and another off Rich in the ninth.
 
Samford's Wyatt Burns, Stephen Jones, Jake Greer and Jack Rude all came in and didn't allow an earned run. The Bulldogs' pitching staff tallied five strikeouts in the victory.
 
"I thought we had some guys come in for us and get some big outs," said Dunn. "I didn't think Jack Rude had his best stuff tonight, because it's been over a week since he's thrown, but after a leadoff double found a way to get a zero. Josh (Rich) left a ball up for a home run in the ninth, but found a way to get three outs and the save for us."
 
In the top of the first inning, Samford scored a two-out run as Quinn drew a walk and later scored off back-to-back singles from Lee and Austin Edens. The Bulldogs' Edens drove in the first run of the game with a single to right field.
 
Along with Lee's 4-for-5 outing Tuesday, Samford's Danny Rodriguez notched a 2-for-3 performance, while T.J. Dixon, Hunter Swilling, Edens, Richard Greene and Troy Dixon all registered base hits.
 
The Bulldogs' big inning occurred in the top of the sixth when they exploded for four two-out runs. Samford's Rodriguez initiated the rally with a walk, while Greene, T.J. Dixon and Swilling all followed with base hits. Dixon and Swilling's knocks both drove in two runs apiece.
 
The Samford University baseball team will next be in action Friday at 6 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs begin a highly-anticipated, three-game home SoCon series against the Mercer Bears.
 
Last season, Mercer defeated Samford in the championship game of the SoCon Tournament and was picked to finish second behind the Bulldogs in the coaches' 2016 preseason predictions.
 
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