BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford Baseball Team tallied six unanswered runs to rally from down four and knock off Big 12 opponent Kansas 9-7 in the rubber match between the two teams on Saturday afternoon.
With the win, The Bulldogs improve to 29-22 overall while the Jayhawks drop to 23-28. The victory bolsters Samford's all-time record against Kansas to 6-3 and marks its third series victory over the Jayhawks.
Prior to first pitch, seniors Kaden Dreier, Kace Garner, Brody Westbrooks, Gene Hurst, Mason McCormack, Timmy Watkins, Alex Goff, Stephen Klein, and manager Matthew Guerra were all recognized as a part of the "Senior Day" Ceremony.
Kace Garner drove in a team-high three runs on the day, including a two-run bomb in the sixth. Josh Rodriguez and Stephen Klein each drove in two runs on a pair of hits, with Klein knocking a double.
Kaden Dreier scored a team-high three runs on a pair of hits, with Jayden Davis also recording two base knocks. Davis's two-hit day extended his current hitting streak to a program-record 34 games.
Turner Thompson (2-3) logged the win, allowing just one run on one hit in 2.2 innings of relief. Ben Petschke (11) slammed the door shut with a 1-2-3 ninth inning, striking out two, to lock down his SoCon-leading 11th save of the season.
Starter Will Lynch battled over 5.1 innings, conceding six runs with a pair of strikeouts in the no-decision.
Samford struck first in the contest, with an RBI groundout from Klein giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Rodriguez led off the frame with a single through the left side and was brought around to third on a perfectly executed hit-and-run from Davis.
Kansas retaliated with a pair of runs in the top of the second. Luke Leto brought in the frame's first run with an RBI groundout while a sac fly from Cole Elvis put the Jayhawks up 2-1.
The Bulldogs countered with two runs in the bottom of the second. A Jayhawk wild pitch, followed by a Rodriguez RBI single, accounted for the damage done.
Kansas knotted the score at three in the top of the fourth on a Michael Brooks solo shot and plated four runs in the top of the sixth to go up 7-3. Janson Reeder drove in the first run of the inning while Collier Cranford brought in three runs on an RBI double to right that just eluded a diving Rodriguez.
Samford fought back with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, beginning with a two-run homer by Garner. A two-out single to left by Klein brought the Bulldogs to within one at 7-6.
The Bulldogs broke through with three runs in the bottom of the seventh, with an RBI infield single by Dreier starting the scoring action. Garner drove in the next run on a Jayhawk fielding error and Rodriguez provided the ninth run on a sac fly to center.
Samford outhit the Jayhawks on the day, 11-7, while reaching base to lead off an inning in six of eight frames.
The Bulldogs will be back in action on Tuesday, May 16 when they host UAB for their final home contest of the 2023 season. First pitch from Joe Lee Griffin Field is slated for 6:00 p.m.
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