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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Already locked into the sixth seed of the upcoming Southern Conference Championship presented by Holston Gases, the Samford University baseball team rested a majority of its starters and sent 10 pitchers to the mound Saturday in a weather-shortened 14-7 (8) loss to the UNCG Spartans in the final game of the regular season held at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
 
Samford (31-24, 11-13 SoCon) will next be in action Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. (CT) as the Bulldogs face a rematch against UNCG (31-21, 14-10 SoCon) in the opening round of the SoCon Tournament, which will be held at the immaculate Fluor Field in downtown Greenville, South Carolina.
 
Samford won its annual season series against the Spartans this year, two games to one, and defeated UNCG, 8-5, in the opening round of the 2016 SoCon Tournament.
 
The Bulldogs enter the nine-team, six-day competition as the sixth seed, while the Spartans earned the No. 3 seed.
 
Mercer and Western Carolina finished first and second in the conference, respectively, while Furman and Wofford will square off Wednesday as the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds. Rounding out the final standings were ETSU, The Citadel and VMI. The Citadel and VMI will square off in a "play-in" game Tuesday at 9 a.m. (CT).
 
Samford had its five-game winning streak against UNCG snapped Saturday; a stretch that dated back to April 29, 2016. Since a series-opening road loss to the Spartans last season, the Bulldogs rattled off five straight victories in the rivalry.
 
In the bottom of the third inning Saturday, Samford garnered an early 1-0 lead with an RBI single to right field from Troy Dixon, but it proved to be short-lived.
 
UNCG then went on to tally 14 straight runs in the fourth through sixth innings to earn a 14-1 advantage. Samford answered with six runs in the bottom of the seventh, including a huge three-run bomb from  Sam McWhorter, but its late rally came up short.
 
The Spartans' starting pitcher Dan Loats (7-2) earned the win, while the Bulldogs' Luke Corbin (0-2) suffered the loss.
 
Samford's Tanner Cunningham, Hamp Skinner, Connor Radcliff, Corbin, Jack Rude, Erin Baldwin, Kyle Stuart, Jake Greer, Tristan Widra, Carson Cupo and Caleb Maggio all earned time on the mound Saturday.

Offensively, Samford's Louisiana natives Austin Edens and Greg Mula led the way. Edens turned in a 3-for-4 outing at the plate with a run scored and an RBI, while Mula finished 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored. The Bulldogs' Branden Fryman and Troy Dixon also registered two-hit performances, while T.J. Dixon and Ayrton Schafer added key base hits in the contest.
 
Samford honored its senior class consisting of Jared Brasher, Mikhail Cazenave, Cunningham and T.J. Dixon prior to the game for all of their hard work and dedication over the years.
 
The Samford University baseball team will next be in action Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. (CT) as the Bulldogs face a rematch with the UNCG Spartans in the opening round of the SoCon Tournament to be held at Fluor Field in Greenville, South Carolina.
 
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Box Score
Updated Stats
SoCon Tournament Bracket