BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Samford pitcher Michael Ross pitched a complete game, allowing just one run in leading the Bulldog baseball team to a 7-1 win over ETSU in the second game of a three-game series Saturday afternoon at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
 
With the win, Samford improves to 22-22 overall and 9-5 in Southern Conference play. ETSU falls to 25-17 overall and 7-7 in league action.
 
"Just an incredible job by him, setting the tone for us early," Samford head coach Tony David said of Ross. "Throwing a complete game in this day and age with specialization and all that stuff is just huge. We didn't set out for him to throw the complete game. We sent him back out there for the eighth and he had a really quick inning, so we wanted to send him back out there for the ninth and give him a chance. The whole team was energized by it."
 
Ross (5-1) scattered five hits over his 9.0 innings of work in earning the win for Samford. He recorded six strikeouts without allowing a walk in the contest. The performance marked the first complete game by a Samford pitcher since 2019 when Zach Hester accomplished the feat against UNC Greensboro.
 
For Samford at the plate, Colton Ledbetter went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and three RBI. Garrett Howe went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI.
 
ETSU was led by Garett Wallace, going 1-for-4 with a home run and one RBI. Hunter Lloyd (3-3) took the loss for the Bucs, tossing 5.1 innings, giving up four runs on six hits.
 
ETSU jumped on top first with a run in the top of the second inning. Wallace hit a solo home run to center field for a 1-0 Buccaneer lead.
 
Samford tied the game with a run in the bottom of the third inning. Ledbetter singled through the left side of the infield to drive in Howe to knot the score at 1-1.
 
The Bulldogs took the lead with a run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Garrett Staton scored from third base when Howe reached on an infield single for a 2-1 Samford lead.
 
Samford took control of the game with four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Towns King singled up the middle to drive in Blake Bortak and Kaden Dreier for the first two runs of the inning. Ledbetter then hit a two-run home run to center field to give Samford a 6-1 lead.
 
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Samford plated another run to push its lead to 7-1. Howe doubled to center field to drive in Staton for a six-run Bulldog lead.
 
Samford and ETSU will conclude their series with a game Sunday afternoon. The first pitch is set for 1 p.m. at Joe Lee Griffin Field.


 
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS
For the latest news and information on Samford baseball, visit the official website for Samford Athletics at SamfordSports.com. Fans can also follow the Bulldogs on social media at /SamfordBaseball (Facebook), @SamfordBaseball (Instagram) and @SamfordBaseball (Twitter).