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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University baseball team extended its season-long winning streak to four-consecutive games Friday as the Bulldogs registered a series-opening 9-4 victory against the Eastern Illinois Panthers in a non-conference matchup held at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
 
Samford (7-5) earned 13 base-hits, nine RBI and three home runs in the win. The Bulldogs rallied for three runs in the second, three more scores in the fourth and eventually held a convincing 9-2 advantage after six full innings of play.
 
Eastern Illinois (1-11), which suffered its fifth straight loss Friday, tallied three of its four runs via home runs from first baseman Matt Albert. The Panthers' junior power hitter from Bettendorf, Iowa, connected on a solo shot in the third inning, as well as a two-run homer in the top of the seventh.
 
Eight of Samford's nine starters registered base hits against Eastern Illinois.
 
Junior Austin Edens and true freshman Branden Fryman both finished 3-for-5 at the plate, while Taylor Garris continued his hot hitting with a 2-for-3 performance. Edens crushed his second home run of the season well over the wall in center field. Fryman scored a run and drove in a run for the Bulldogs.
 
Samford also received high-impact home runs from true freshmen Anthony Mulrine and Ayrton Schafer. Mulrine blasted a two-run shot in the second inning, while Schafer powered his fourth round-tripper of the season deep over the wall in left-center field.
 
The Bulldogs' T.J. Dixon extended his hitting streak to 11-consecutive games with a single to left field in the fourth frame. Samford's senior centerfielder currently owns a .353 batting average on the season.
 
As hot as Dixon's bat has been this year, Garris' is on fire. The Bulldogs' true freshman third baseman from Sarasota, Florida, is hitting .818 (9-of-11) in Samford's last three games, including a 2-for-3 performance Friday. Garris also scored a run and drove in a run against Eastern Illinois.
 
The Bulldogs' Troy Dixon and Jordan Fucci also registered key hits in the victory. As a team, Samford hit .361 in the game.
 
Senior Mikhail Cazenave (2-1) cruised to the win on the mound Friday. The Bulldogs' senior native of Rainbow City notched seven strikeouts in 6.2 innings pitched and helped Samford maintain its early advantage. He only walked two hitters in the key outing.
 
The Bulldogs also received solid appearances from Hamp Skinner and Erin Baldwin en route to the victory.
 
Eastern Illinois' Alex Stevenson (1-1) surrendered seven earned runs in four innings and was issued the loss.
 
Samford and Eastern Illinois will resume play in this weekend's three-game series Saturday at 2 p.m. (CT) as the teams again meet up for the second matchup to be held at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
 
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