Box Score
Updated Stats

OXFORD, Ala. -- In its final nonconference game of the regular season, the Samford University baseball team rallied to score four runs on two hits in the top of the sixth inning to defeat the homestanding Jacksonville State Gamecocks, 9-7, on Wednesday in an in-state contest held at Choccolocco Park.
 
With the victory, Samford (28-22) closed out the season with a solid 10-5 record against in-state foes and earned the annual home-and-home series sweep of Jacksonville State (24-22). The Bulldogs have now won six of their last seven meetings with the Gamecocks.
 
Samford pounded out 12 hits and jumped out to an early 3-0 lead Wednesday. The Bulldogs scored three times on three hits in the top of the first inning as Brooks Carlson, Ayrton Schafer and Anthony Mulrine all drove in runs.
 
Eight of Samford's starting nine position players tallied base hits and were paced by multi-hit performances from Troy Dixon, Austin Edens, Blaine Smith and Mulrine. In the Bulldogs' first matchup against Jacksonville State, Samford rattled off 14 hits and all nine starters tallied base hits in the 9-3 home triumph.
 
On Wednesday, the Bulldogs' relentless offensive attack also received key hits from Branden Fryman and Taylor Garris, while Fryman finished a perfect 3-for-3 on stolen-base attempts.
 
After jumping out to its 3-0 early lead in the first inning, Samford found itself trailing Jacksonville State, 5-4, following Gamecock runs in the first and fourth frames, the big blow being a three-run homer to right field off the bat of Chase Robinson in the fourth.
 
The Bulldogs rallied to score four runs in the top of the sixth inning to garner an 8-5 lead, but then the Gamecocks tallied a pair of scores in the bottom of the eighth frame to trip the advantage to 8-7.
 
Samford then answered with a huge insurance run in the top of the ninth before senior closer Wyatt Burns entered the game in the final half-inning and shut the door on Jacksonville State for his team-leading ninth save of the season. Burns is also the school's all-time leader in saves with 29.
 
The Samford University baseball team will next be in action Friday at 5 p.m. (CT) as the Bulldogs travel to Cullowhee, North Carolina, for a critical late-season SoCon series against the Western Carolina Catamounts.
 
For quick score updates, breaking news and links to all of your favorite articles featuring the Bulldogs, please follow @SamfordBaseball and @Samford_Sports on Twitter.

Box Score
Updated Stats