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GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Samford nearly pulled off a loser's bracket doubleheader sweep Saturday to advance to the championship round of the Southern Conference Tournament, but two big innings from the Western Carolina Catamounts proved to be too much to overcome as the Bulldogs fell, 7-4, in a hard-fought elimination game held at Fluor Field.
 
"I thought our guys laid it out there for 18 long innings today," said Samford head coach Casey Dunn. "We won a great battle in the first one against Furman, but then lost a tough battle tonight to Western Carolina. Against Furman, it was definitely the perfect time for Jared (Brasher) to rise to the occasion. To do special things in a tournament, guys have to really shine when it counts, and what he did today was phenomenal.
 
"Wyatt (Burns) coming in and finishing the first game off was special as well. Tanner (Cunningham) also gave us two clean innings there in the middle and that was just a great job by those guys to elevate their performance on a big stage."
 
With its later loss to Western Carolina, Samford (35-26) had its 2016 SoCon Tournament run come to an end and its season come to a close. The Bulldogs defeated Furman, 2-0, in Saturday's first game and held a great deal of momentum heading into the nightcap, but the Catamounts' streaky hitters were able to score seven runs in three early innings to dictate the contest.
 
"Western Carolina was able to get those two big innings, unfortunately, "Dunn said. "They were able to capitalize and they were able to get the hits. We made some mistakes, but it was really more of them just getting the big hits when they needed them. They are a good ball club. That is a very good team across the way. I thought our guys battled, but we couldn't get it done."
 
Western Carolina (28-29) returned to the SoCon Tournament championship title game for the first time since 2010. The second-seeded Catamounts got four hits from Kramer Ferrell and topped No. 6 seed Samford on Saturday, 7-4, to punch its ticket for Sunday's title tilt at Fluor Field.
 
WCU will face No. 1 seed and defending champion Mercer at noon (CDT) on ESPN3. The Catamounts and Bears played Saturday as well, with Mercer topping Western Carolina 9-8 to drop the Catamounts into the losers' bracket.
 
Western Carolina will have to top Mercer twice Sunday to win its first title since 2003 and record 10th overall.
 
Samford, which was vying for its fifth title-game appearance in six years, also reached the semifinal round of the SoCon Tournament for a fifth time since 2011. The Bulldogs have reached the 35-win plateau four times since the program's inception in 1905, all four have been achieved in the last six seasons.
 
"Ultimately, this was a good year," said Dunn. "It's always good to take some time and reflect on the season and 35 wins is a big accomplishment. We're continually building pride within the program and when you send guys off like these eight seniors, all of those guys are going to be loyal and dedicated to what Samford meant to them. The more that happens, the better our program and the better our school is going to be."
 
Down 1-0 after Samford's Alex Lee's second-inning home run, Western Carolina scored all seven of its runs from the third to fifth, tying the game on Brett Pope's RBI single in the third before going ahead with three runs in the fourth, highlighted by J.D. Long's two-run single. Three more runs following in the fifth on Danny Bermudez's RBI double and Ferrell's two-run single as the Catamounts took a 7-1 lead.
 
Samford got a pair of homers in the sixth to stop the bleeding, with Heath Quinn launching his league-leading 21st of the year and Lee following one out later with his second of the night and 11th of the season. The Bulldogs added another run in the seventh on T.J. Dixon's RBI groundout.
 
In addition to another solid offensive effort, Western Carolina – which has averaged 9.8 runs per game in the tournament – got some solid defense in Saturday night's contest.
 
Jake Greer, Samford's second pitcher of the day, took the loss, falling to 3-2 after allowing five runs (four earned) on three hits and three walks in 1 1/3 innings. Josh Rich, making his first start of the season after 25 relief appearances, gave the Bulldogs three innings, allowing just one run on three hits and a pair of walks.
 
Samford's Lee finished 3-for-4 with a pair of solo homers for the Bulldogs, who also got two hits each from Danny Rodriguez and Richard Greene.
 
"I don't think we've ever had a performance that embodies what you want from a Samford baseball player like Richard did this week," said Dunn. "To play five games on a broken leg, to catch a doubleheader on a broken leg, to beat out a throw to get an infield hit in the ninth to try to spark the rally, you can't draw it up much better for what a true competitor and warrior he is."
 
Quinn, whose solo homer was his final hit of the season, finished his junior campaign with 77 RBI, leading the league in that category. Quinn's 77 RBI this year shattered Samford's previous single-season record of 65, which was set by former Bulldog-great Brandon Miller in 2012.
 
Saturday night also proved to be the last time that Samford seniors Frankie Navarrete, Parker Curry, Jared Watson, Rodriguez, Damon Waller, Greene and Lee will don the Bulldogs' blue and red jerseys.
 
"We're going to really miss these eight seniors," Dunn said. "Not only on the field, but also with what they have accomplished off the field as well. They are all outstanding young men and will still mean a lot to this program for years and years down the road. They are a special group of guys and ultimately we have eight guys that we had the opportunity to experience here at Samford."
 
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