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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University baseball team's three-game series opener against the Eastern Michigan Eagles ended with a bang Friday as the Bulldogs' Jordan Fucci blasted a 1-2 offering in the bottom of the ninth inning high, and deep, and well over the wall in right field. Fucci's walk-off home run solidified Samford's 4-3 victory and secured its sixth straight triumph at home.
 
Samford (11-6), which defeated Alabama, 10-3, on Wednesday, notched its second straight victory and improved to 8-2 in the friendly confines of Joe Lee Griffin Field this season. The Bulldogs have also been triumphant in eight of their last nine games.
 
Fucci's game-winning home run proved to be his second round-tripper of the 2017 season, as well as his second this week. Samford's intimidating, 6-foot-4 left-handed power hitter also registered a homer on the road at Jacksonville State on Tuesday.
 
The Bulldogs' starting pitcher Mikhail Cazenave (2-1) turned in his best outing of the season Friday. Samford's senior right-hander logged eight full innings on the mound and struck out nine Eagles, while not allowing a single walk. Additionally, Cazenave only allowed three runs on six hits and lowered his earned-run average on the season to 3.96.
 
Junior Wyatt Burns (2-0), who leads the nation with seven saves this year, entered the game in the ninth inning and worked his way through Eastern Michigan's lineup. He proved to be the pitcher of record in the bottom of the frame when Fucci led off the inning with his walk-off bomb.
 
The Eagles scored first Friday, but Samford answered with two scores in the bottom of the third to garner an early 2-1 advantage. Eastern Michigan then responded with two runs in the fifth inning, while the Bulldogs evened the score at 3-3 with a tally in the bottom of the sixth.
 
Samford's T.J. Dixon finished 2-for-4 at the plate Friday and extended his hitting streak to 16-consecutive games. He also scored a run and drove in a run against Eastern Michigan and has reached base safely in all 17 outings of the season.
 
Junior Kevin Williams, Jr., powered his team-leading seventh home run of the season in the sixth inning to tie the score at 3-3. The Bulldogs also received base hits from Austin Edens, Anthony Mulrine and Ayrton Schafer.
 
Eastern Michigan's Matthew Beaton (1-2) surrendered Fucci's game-winning homer in the ninth inning and was handed the loss. Offensively, the Eagles were paced by Marquise Gill's 2-for-4 performance at the plate.
 
Samford and Eastern Michigan will square off in the second game of this weekend's series Saturday at 2 p.m. (CT) at Joe Lee Griffin Field. Sunday's series finale was moved up to a noon start time, in order to give the Eagles a head start on traveling back home to Ypsilanti, Michigan.
 
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