JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – The Samford Baseball Team scored five unanswered runs in the seventh and ninth innings to knock off the Jacksonville State Gamecocks 10-6 on Wednesday evening.
With the win, Samford improves to 25-20 overall while the Gamecocks drop to 21-23.
Andrew Bennett led the Bulldogs with four hits on the night, with a pair of doubles. Garrett Howe and Lucas Steele each went yard and drove in three runs, with Howe knocking the eventual game-winning homer in the seventh inning.
Jayden Davis registered a pair of hits, with a solo home run in the fifth inning, to extend his current hitting streak to 28 games. The freshman infielder sits just one game shy of tying the program record for longest hitting streak.
Trey Sanders (2-0) was razor-sharp over innings six through eight to earn the win, striking out three and giving up just one hit. Ben Petschke (8) stranded a pair of runners in scoring position in relief in the ninth to earn his eighth save of the season.
Starter Jake Holifield set the tone for the night, conceding just one hit over the first three innings while striking out a pair.
The Bulldogs broke through in the top of the fourth inning, plating four runs on two hits and taking advantage of three Gamecock errors. The first two runs came on an RBI single by Lucas Steele which turned into an E9 that brought in the second run. A Jacksonville State fielding error, followed by a fielder's choice off the bat Walton, accounted for the rest of the damage done.
The Gamecocks responded in their next at bat, with an RBI triple from Derrick Jackson Jr. and RBI double from T.J. Reeves cutting Samford's lead in half at 4-2.
Davis's seventh homer of the season in the top of the fifth extended the Bulldogs' lead to 5-2, but the Gamecocks answered in the bottom of the fifth with four runs on three hits. Mason Maners brought in the inning's first run on an RBI single to right while Reeves put JSU on top 6-5 with a three-run shot to center.
The Bulldogs retook the lead in the top of the seventh with three runs on three hits. Klein tied the game at six on an RBI single to right while Howe's first big fly of the season put Samford up 8-6.
Steele added a pair of big insurance runs in the top of the ninth with his ninth home run of the season, a towering two-run blast to right, to give the Bulldogs a 10-6 lead.
The Gamecocks made things interesting in the top of the ninth, putting runners at second and third with nobody out after a leadoff walk and double. Petschke promptly worked a backward K upon entry and then induced an unconventional 1-3-4 double play to end the game.
The Bulldogs will be back in action on Friday, May 5 when they host Western Carolina for the first of three Southern Conference contests. First pitch from Joe Lee Griffin Field is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. (CST).
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