Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
Updated Samford Stats

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University baseball team tallied five home runs and eight extra-base hits Saturday as the Bulldogs battled to a momentous doubleheader sweep of the Kansas Jayhawks, 3-2 (10) and 13-9, in a key non-conference series being held at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
 
"These were some really good wins for us today," said Samford head coach Casey Dunn. "We pitched really well in game one and then hit the ball extremely well in the second game, hopefully we can put them together tomorrow in the third game. The biggest things for us were that we lost the lead in game one, but we came back and battled to a victory. Then, in game two, we got down big, but fought and fought back, took the lead, extended the lead and then finished them off."
 
With Saturday's victories, Samford (23-17) improved to 17-8 at home this season and 17-11 against non-conference opponents. The Bulldogs also remained perfect on the year when scoring six or more runs in a game. So far this season, Samford owns an unblemished 18-0 record when plating at least six runs.
 
Kansas (16-22) fell to 2-11 when playing on the road this season. The Jayhawks' two victories in true road games this year have come against Baylor, 6-1, and Texas, 11-5.
 
"I really credit our resiliency and I thought we showed a lot more fight today," Dunn said. "I'm really pleased with that the most."
 
Sunday's third-and-final game of the series is slated to begin at noon (CDT) and not Samford's typical 1 p.m., start time. The game will start an hour early so that Kansas will have plenty of time to make its flight back to Lawrence, Kansas.
 
GAME ONE - - SAMFORD def. KANSAS, 3-2 (10)
With one out and fellow-senior Danny Rodriguez at second base, the Bulldogs and Jayhawks were knotted at 2-2 in the bottom of the 10^th inning when Frankie Navarrete smoked a deep drive to center field that bounded off the wall and easily scored Rodriguez for the game-winning, walk-off double.
 
"Frankie's hit was huge and he just put a big swing on it," said Dunn. "He's one of those guys that never gets down if he's having a bad day, and that showed today as he kept his hopes up and got us the game-winning hit in the 10^th inning. He came through with a big hit at the perfect time, took a good cut on the ball and hit it over their center fielder's head. It couldn't have happened at a better time."
 
Navarrete's double proved to be his fifth of the season as Samford's senior second baseman finished 1-for-3 at the plate. Rodriguez, who also tallied a 1-for-3 performance at the dish, opened the bottom of the 10^th inning with a line-drive single to left field. He was then advanced to second base on a perfectly-placed sacrifice bunt from catcher Richard Greene.
 
Behind a brilliant pitching performance from Stephen Jones, the Bulldogs held a 2-0 lead in the contest heading to the top of the eighth frame. Samford's opening run was scored in the bottom of the second inning as Alex Lee blasted a solo home run over the scoreboard in deep right-center field. The homer proved to be Lee's first of three on the day.
 
In the fourth inning, the Bulldogs' Heath Quinn was hit by a pitch with one out and then advanced to second base on a wild pitch. He came across to score from second base as Lee rifled a single to right field.
 
Lee finished 2-for-3 at the plate in game one, while adding a pair of RBI and a run scored. Rodriguez, Greene and Navarrete also earned hits for Samford in the outing.
 
Jones, the Bulldogs' talented true freshman right-hander from Tallahassee, Florida, resumed his start from Friday's rain-delayed game and hurled five full innings of scoreless ball. He notched four strikeouts and only allowed two base hits.
 
Samford's Jake Greer pitched 1.2 innings of shutout baseball before Parker Curry (4-1) came on in the seventh stanza and earned the victory. Curry tallied two strikeouts in 3.1 innings of action.
 
In the top of the eighth inning, Kansas was able to string together a single and then back-to-back doubles to even the score of the game at 2-2.
 
The Jayhawks' Joven Afenir and TJ Martin both paced their offensive attack with two-hit performances. Afenir finished 2-for-5 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored, while Martin finished 2-for-4.
 
The teams played to a scoreless ninth inning before Navarrete's game-winning heroics in the bottom of the 10^th.
 
GAME TWO - - SAMFORD def. KANSAS, 13-9
In the second game of Saturday's doubleheader, things weren't looking good for the homestanding Bulldogs as Kansas led 9-4 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning.
 
That's when Samford's hitters took over and tallied nine runs in the next two innings to garner their decisive 13-9 decision.
 
The Bulldogs' massive rally started in the sixth stanza as Navarrete roped a single up the middle. Samford then received a single from Hunter Swilling and a three-run double to the wall in right-center field from Quinn. Then, after a walk to Austin Edens, Lee teed off for his second homer of the game and his third of the day as he sent a high blast off the scoreboard in right field.
 
Lee's home run in the sixth inning proved to be the game-winner as it gave the Bulldogs a 10-9 advantage.
 
In the next frame, Samford's Quinn put the contest out of reach as he drilled a long three-run homer into the batter's eye in center field. The home run proved to be Quinn's second of the game as the Bulldogs' junior right fielder leads the nation with 17 this season.
 
Samford's Tanner Cunningham (2-1) earned the victory on the mound as he threw three innings and only allowed one base hit. He was credited with an earned run and faced 11 hitters.
 
The Bulldogs' Jared Brasher started the second game Saturday as Tristan Widra, Wyatt Burns and Josh Rich also received action on the hill. Rich entered the game in the eighth inning and shut the door on Kansas by only allowing one base hit in the final two frames of the victory.
 
Offensively, Samford's Quinn went 3-for-5 with seven RBI, three runs scored and two home runs. Lee also raked two home runs in the win as he notched a 2-for-4 outing with five RBI and a pair of scores. The Bulldogs' Greene also turned in a two-hit performance, while T.J. Dixon, Swilling, Edens, Rodriguez and Navarrete all tallied base hits.
 
"It was really good to see Alex hit a few balls out today, to be honest with you," Dunn said. "I think he's definitely had a better year than some of his power numbers have shown, so it was good to see him get a couple of balls over the fence. He's a really good hitter and of course Heath hit a couple of really good ones there as well. His last one was the big one that put the game away and went to dead center field."
 
On Sunday, the Samford University baseball team will try for the three-game series of Kansas at noon (CDT) as the Bulldogs and Jayhawks square off in the final matchup of the non-conference set being held at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
 
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Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
Updated Samford Stats