BOX SCORE (PDF)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford baseball team set a new school record for regular-season wins with a 5-3 victory over Western Carolina Saturday afternoon at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
With the win, Samford improves to 36-15 overall and 16-4 in Southern Conference play. The 36 wins breaks the old regular-season mark of 35 set by the 2012 squad. The win also secures a share of the Southern Conference regular-season title, and puts the Bulldogs just one win away from winning the outright title and the No. 1 seed for the SoCon Tournament, which begins May 21 in Greenville, S.C. Western Carolina falls to 18-27 overall and 7-13 in league games.
FROM THE BOX SCORE
- Anthony Mulrine went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI to lead Samford at the plate.
- Brooks Carlson went 2-for-4 with two RBI for Samford.
- Zach Hester (7-3) pitched 6.0 innings, giving up two runs on six hits to earn the win on the mound for Samford.
- Stephen Jones pitched the final 2.0 innings to pick up his SoCon-leading 12th save of the season.
- WCU was led by Justice Bigbie going 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBI.
- Daylan Nanny also homered for WCU, going 2-for-5 with one RBI.
- Chase Walter (5-6) pitched 7.0 innings, giving up four runs on six hits to take the loss for the Catamounts.
SCORING SUMMARY
- Western Carolina scored a run in the top of the first inning on a solo home run by Bigbie, and the Catamounts plated another run in the fourth inning to take a 2-0 lead.
- Samford came back to take the lead with three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Mulrine scored the first run when Branden Fryman reached base on a fielder's choice. Carlson later singled to drive in Fryman and Taylor Garris for a 3-2 Samford lead.
- The Bulldogs added a run in the sixth inning to push their lead to 4-2. Mulrine doubled to drive in Ayrton Schafer for a two-run Samford lead.
- Western Carolina's Nanny hit a solo home run in the top of the eighth inning to cut the Samford lead to 4-3.
- In the bottom of the eighth inning, Mulrine singled to drive in Kaden Dreier to push Samford's lead to 5-3.
LOOKING AHEAD
Samford and Western Carolina will conclude their series with a game Sunday. The game time is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start from Joe Lee Griffin Field. The contest will be Senior Day for the Bulldogs as the 2019 seniors will be honored in ceremonies prior to the game.