Game 1 - - Box Score
Game 2 - - Box Score
Updated Samford Stats

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University baseball team extended its Southern Conference winning streak to five-consecutive games Thursday as the Bulldogs swept a series-opening doubleheader from the VMI Keydets, 7-6 (10) and 7-0, at home at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
 
"It was good for us to get two wins today," said Samford head coach Casey Dunn. "In the first game, we looked a bit sloppy and didn't play our best baseball, but I thought we played better in the second game. Again, we didn't play our best, but we pitched the ball well, especially early on. We played really well defensively and Danny (Rodriguez) made an outstanding play there to end the game. Our defensive play was definitely encouraging today."
 
Samford (32-23, 13-10 SoCon), which rolled to a three-game road sweep at The Citadel last week, continued its winning ways Thursday with a pair of key wins against VMI (20-34, 3-20 SoCon). With the victories, the Bulldogs moved to 20-12 at home this season and remained in the fifth-place position in the SoCon standings.
 
At 13-10 in league play, Samford sits a half-game behind fourth-place Furman and a game-and-a-half ahead of sixth-place Wofford. The Bulldogs own a tiebreaker with Wofford, but Furman defeated Samford twice in an early SoCon series held in Greenville, South Carolina.
 
This week, in the SoCon's final series' of the regular season, Wofford is playing a three-game set on the road at Furman.
 
Samford's final game of the regular season will be held Saturday at 1 p.m. (CDT). The Bulldogs and Keydets will not attempt to get in the series finale Friday due to an impending rainstorm in the Birmingham area.
 
Prior to Saturday's game, Samford will host its annual Senior Day presentation. Fans are encouraged to show up early to the contest as the Senior Day festivities are scheduled to begin at 12:45 p.m.
 
GAME ONE - - SAMFORD def. VMI, 7-6 (10)
With nobody out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10^th inning, Samford's Jared Watson sent a perfectly-placed single to left field that landed mere inches fair inside the foul line. Watson's walk-off, game-winning hit allowed Hunter Swilling to score the decisive run from third base.
 
Watson's walk-off proved to be the third for Samford since April 22. Just weeks ago, Samford tallied a pair of walk-off victories in thrilling fashion against both Kansas and Alabama.
 
On April 22, the Bulldogs' Frankie Navarrete powered a double off the wall in center field to score Danny Rodriguez and defeat Kansas, 3-2. Then, on April 26, Samford earned a similar 3-2 triumph as freshman Ben Carrick sent a one-out, two-run walk-off homer over the wall in left field to defeat Alabama.
 
On Thursday, Samford's game-winning rally was kicked off by Swilling who was hit by a pitch to open the bottom of the 10^th inning. Junior right-fielder Heath Quinn then drew a walk, moved to second base on a fielder's choice and Alex Lee was intentionally walked to load the bases.
 
It was then that Watson roped the game-winning single to left field. He finished 1-for-2 from the field, while Quinn proved to be the only multi-hit performer of the game. Quinn, the Bulldogs' single-season, record-holder in RBI with 70, turned in a 2-for-3 outing at the plate with two RBI. He also earned a pair of walks.
 
Samford's Grant Colton and Swilling both blasted deep home runs in Thursday's first game. Colton powered his third home run of the season to the opposite field in right field, while Swilling smoked his 10^th round-tripper of the year well into the trees in left center.
 
Colton concluded the game at 1-for-2 with two runs scored and an RBI. Swilling also finished 1-for-2, but posted two runs scored and a pair of RBI. He also drew a pair of walks in the 7-6 victory over VMI.
 
Samford's Lee also tallied a base hit in the contest. The Bulldogs' Preseason All-SoCon performer from Heflin has hit safely in 20 of his last 22 games.
 
Senior Parker Curry (6-2) started on the mound for Samford and tallied 10 strikeouts in six full innings of action, while only allowing two earned runs on six hits. The Bulldogs' dominant starting pitcher left Thursday's game with a 4-2 lead. With his performance, he improved his solid earned-run average on the season to 3.39.
 
"Parker did an outstanding job in game one," said Dunn. "He was efficient. He kept his pitch count down and I think he only threw 90 or so pitches in six innings. I was really pleased with both of our starting pitchers today. I thought they were great."
 
Curry is one of eight Samford seniors who will be honored prior to Saturday's regular-season finale against VMI.
 
Heading into the eighth inning Thursday, the Bulldogs held a seemingly safe 6-2 advantage over the Keydets. VMI had other thoughts late in the game as it scored two runs in each of the eighth and ninth innings to even the score at 6-6 to force extra innings.
 
With nobody out in the top of the ninth, the Keydets' Matt Pita collected his second home run of the game, and his 11^th of the season, as he tallied a two-run shot to left field to knot the game at 6-6.
 
Pita singlehandedly accounted for four of his team's six runs as VMI's freshman left fielder turned in a 3-for-5 performance at the dish with three RBI and three runs scored. First baseman Collin Fleischer also homered in the game as he notched a 2-for-5 outing.
 
Samford's Tristan Widra (4-4) pitched the 10^th inning and only allowed a walk en route to becoming the pitcher of record in the Bulldogs' victory. He cruised through the frame and tallied a key strikeout of second baseman Nathan Eaton.
 
GAME TWO - - SAMFORD def. VMI, 7-0
The Bulldogs registered their second shutout of the 2016 campaign Thursday as junior Mikhail Cazenave (4-1) proved to be nearly unhittable. Cazenave, Samford's talented transfer from Snead State Community College, only allowed four hits in seven full innings of action. He also registered seven strikeouts and helped the Bulldogs cruise to a 7-0 advantage.
 
"I thought that Mikhail did a great job today and he really commanded the strike zone, as well as both sides of the plate," Dunn said. "He was phenomenal, and again, he continues to take a step forward. That was what we hoped would happen coming off the surgery and what we hoped would happen as the year went on. I thought he did a great job in the game."
 
Samford did most of its damage in the bottom of the first inning as the Bulldogs sent 11 batters to the plate and scored six runs on three hits. Junior T.J. Dixon set the tone for the game early as he ripped a triple into the gap in right-center field. The three-bagger proved to be Dixon's fifth of the season as upped his SoCon-leading active career total to 11.
 
VMI walked three hitters in the inning and committed two costly errors. The Keydets committed back-to-back miscues in the frame and the Bulldogs' Jordan Fucci and Danny Rodriguez made them pay with consecutive two-run doubles.
 
"We had some good two-out hits in the inning, especially Jordan's double," said Dunn. "He stayed back on a changeup and put it in the left-center gap. Danny snuck up on an up-count fastball and sent it down the line, so we were able to capitalize on the opportunities in the second game."
 
Fucci, Samford's highly-touted true freshman from Lexington, Kentucky, finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored, while Rodriguez also notched two RBI and a run scored on a 1-for-3 performance at the plate.
 
Lee hit the ball hard all day Thursday and turned in a 2-for-5 outing. He proved to be one of seven Bulldogs to score runs in the second game of the doubleheader.
 
Eight of Samford's nine starters tallied base hits in the contest as the Bulldogs accumulated 10 as a team. Following their six-spot in the bottom of the first, Samford's seventh-and-final run of the game occurred in the fourth inning as Quinn powered his 19^th homer of the season deep to left-center field.
 
Quinn now boasts a .350 batting average with 70 RBI, 57 runs and 150 total bases on the season.
 
The Samford University baseball team will next be in action Saturday at 1 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs try for their second straight SoCon sweep against the VMI Keydets here at Joe Lee Griffin Field. Samford's eight seniors will be honored prior to the contest with a special Senior Day presentation, which is slated to begin at 12:45 p.m.
 
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Game 1 - - Box Score
Game 2 - - Box Score
Updated Samford Stats