BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford Baseball Team used an eight-run first inning to help propel them to a 12-1 run-rule victory over the University of North Alabama on Tuesday.
 
The victory marks the Bulldogs' fifth in a row and improves their record to 11-10. The Lions fall to 5-14.
 
Freshman Jayden Davis led the Bulldogs offensively by logging a 3-4 night with a home run, a double, and four runs driven in. Davis registered his team-best sixth multi-hit performance and fourth three-hit game while also launching his first collegiate homer.
 
John Anderson and Andrew Bennett both drove in a pair, with Anderson accouting for an RBI double. Garrett Howe scored a team-best three runs while adding a hit and an RBI.
 
Joseph Salvo and Josh Rodriguez each scored twice, with Salvo adding an RBI knock. Garrett Staton also went yard in the contest.
 
Jacob Newman (2-1) picked up his second win of the season by tossing the first two innings of a Johnny Wholestaff effort, striking out two and allowing just one run. Five Bulldogs combined to throw the final five innings, with Blake Bortak making his 2023 pitching debut on the night.
 
After conceding a run to the Lions in the top of the first, the Bulldogs answered by exploding for eight runs on eight hits in the bottom half of the inning. Staton and Davis started the inning with back-to-back homers, followed by an RBI double and a sac fly from Anderson that put the Bulldogs up 4-0. RBI singles by Bennett and Salvo, followed by an RBI double from Davis, made it 7-0 before a Lion wild pitch brought in the frame's final run.
 
Samford added three more runs in the bottom of the fifth to expand its lead to 11-1. John Andeson brought in the inning's first run with an RBI groundout to short while Davis delivered the big blow with a two-out, two-run single.
 
The Bulldogs tacked on one more run in the bottom of the sixth, when Bennett brought in Howe on an RBI 6-3. A one-out walk from Howe, followed by a double to right center from Anderson, set the stage for Bennett's RBI ground-ball out.
 
Samford finished the night batting .400 (10-25), highlighted by a mark of .500 (8-16) with runners on and .417 (5-12) with runners in scoring position.
 
The Bulldog pitching staff held the Lions to just a .182 (4-22) team average on the evening, including a clip of .143 (1-7) with runners in scoring position.
 
The Bulldogs will turn their attention to conference play this weekend, where they will play a three-game road series at ETSU to begin SoCon play. Samford will play game one of their weekend set against the Bucs at 4:00 p.m. (CST) from Johnson City, Tenn.
 
 


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