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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- With two outs and a 2-2 count in the bottom of the ninth inning, Samford's starting catcher Anthony Mulrine roped a double to left-center field and sophomore Jordan Fucci scored all the way from first base to secure the Bulldogs' thrilling 1-0 walk-off victory against The Citadel Bulldogs in Southern Conference action Thursday held at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
 
The game-winning hit proved to be the first of the day for Mulrine, but it also proved to be the most important blast of the evening. Mulrine, Samford's talented true freshman backstop, also recorded the first extra-base hit of the night.
 
Samford (20-14, 3-4 SoCon) and The Citadel (10-21, 2-5 SoCon) combined for 27 strikeouts Thursday as the team's pitching staffs dueled in brilliant performances on the mound.
 
JP Sears accumulated 15 strikeouts in a no-decision for The Citadel in eight full innings of action, while Samford's Cody Shelton started for the Bulldogs and added six strikeouts of his own in six key innings of work. Sears only allowed four hits and three walks, as Shelton limited The Citadel to six base hits and a pair of walks.
 
Samford's Jared Brasher (3-0) came on in the top of the seventh inning and earned the victory for the Bulldogs. He hurled the final three frames of the game and struck out four.
 
The Citadel's Aaron Lesiak (3-2) pitched the ninth inning and came just one strike away from sending the game into extra stanzas. After Fucci opened the frame with a single to right field, Lesiak was able to strike out the next two hitters before Mulrine's epic seven-pitch at-bat to win the game.
 
Along with Mulrine's deciding double, Samford also received hits from Branden Fryman, Kevin Williams, Jr., Ayrton Schafer and Fucci on Thursday. In fact, Fucci proved to be the only player in the game to earn a pair of base hits.
 
Both teams concluded Thursday's series opener with six hits.
 
Just two night's after scoring 15 runs on 17 hits in a hard-fought 16-15 home loss to No. 10-ranked Auburn on Tuesday, Samford was held to just one run on six hits.
 
The Citadel's Sears entered the contest as one of the best, if not the best, pitcher in the SoCon. He came into the weekend ranked No. 9 in the nation with 72 strikeouts, despite not pitching a game last week due to a bye.
 
Samford's Shelton has been equally daunting this season. He is now 3-0 with a miniscule 1.42 earned run average to lead the Bulldogs' pitching staff. Brasher also boasts a 3-0 mark with a similarly impressive 2.11 ERA and 33 strikeouts in only 21.1 innings this season.
 
Samford and The Citadel will square off in game two of this weekend's SoCon series Friday at 6 p.m. (CT) at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
 
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