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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University baseball team used strong pitching performances from starter Cody Shelton and closer Wyatt Burns en route to a 7-0 home victory against the preseason Southern Conference-favorite Mercer Bears on Friday as the Bulldogs registered their 10^th straight victory at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
 
With the shutout win, Samford (21-14, 8-2 SoCon) remained undefeated since March 25. The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents, 91-22, during the stretch. Additionally, Samford has outhit the opposition, 127-67, in its last 10 games.
 
Both of Mercer's (26-10, 6-4 SoCon) hits were tallied by third baseman Jackson Ware on Friday. He finished 2-for-4 at the plate, while the remaining Bears compiled an 0-for-26 performance.
 
Samford's Shelton (2-2) started the contest and hurled seven full innings of two-hit baseball. He registered six strikeouts in the game and only allowed a single walk. Shelton left the game in the top of the eighth inning as the Bulldogs held a 3-0 advantage.
 
Burns struck out four of the seven batters he faced and notched his fifth save of the 2018 campaign. He is the SoCon active career leader in the category with 25 saves and didn't allow a single hit in Friday's game, while cruising through the final two innings of the matchup.
 
Offensively, Samford scored two runs in the third, another in the sixth and then tacked on four scores in the bottom of the eighth inning, including a two-run homer from freshman Brooks Carlson.
 
Carlson finished Friday's game 2-for-5 at the plate with two runs scored and three RBI. The Bulldogs' Branden Fryman and Austin Edens also posted two-hit performances, while Troy Dixon, Ayrton Schafer, Sam Teague, Anthony Mulrine and Taylor Garris all posted key base hits.
 
Dixon, Samford's talented junior second baseman from Mobile, drove in a pair of runs, as Edens and Garris both added one apiece.
 
The Bulldogs outhit Mercer, 11-2.
 
Samford and Mercer will continue play in this weekend's three-game series Saturday at 10 a.m. (CT) here at Joe Lee Griffin Field. The matchup was originally scheduled to begin at 2 p.m., but has been moved up due to the threat of inclement weather in the area.
 
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