BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University baseball team opened Southern Conference play with a doubleheader sweep of VMI Saturday at Joe Lee Griffin Field. The Bulldogs took game one, 14-4 in seven innings, and then made a late comeback to earn a 16-9 win in the second game of the twin bill.
 
With the sweep, Samford is now 15-7 overall and 2-0 in Southern Conference play. VMI fell to 12-12 overall and 0-2 in league games.
 
"Obviously, any time you can win a series in the first two games, it's huge," Samford head coach Tony David said. "These are long days. We've played a lot of doubleheaders this year and I think it kind of helped battle test us for today."
 
In game one, Michael Ross (5-0) pitched 6.1 innings, giving up four runs on eight hits and striking out five batters to earn the win on the mound for Samford. Cullen Horowicz went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI to lead Samford at the plate in the first game. Josh Rodriguez went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI, while John Anderson went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Andrew Bennett also homered in game one, going 3-for-3 with an RBI.
 
"Ross did a great job," David said. "Overall, the pitching in both games I thought did well. It was consistent, but it was as tight of a zone and we'll ever see. Our guys had to work for it. Ross was great, the ball was flying out of Joe Lee today, but he battled his tale off, and we did a good job of getting our share of the balls over the fence."
 
For VMI in game one, Justin Stark, Grayson Fitz and Ty Swaim all homered. Trey Morgan (1-3) pitched 4.1 innings, giving up seven runs on 11 hits to take the loss for the Keydets.
 
Each team scored two runs in the second inning and then VMI took a 3-2 lead with a run in the third inning. Samford took the lead for good with two runs in the fourth inning and three more in the fifth for a 7-3 lead. The two runs in the fourth inning were scored on a two-run homer by Horowicz. In the fifth inning, Rodriguez hit a three-run blast to left field for a four-run Samford lead.
 
After VMI plated a run in the top of the seventh inning to cut the lead to 7-4, Samford tallied seven runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to make the score 14-4, ending the game on the run rule. Anderson started things with a solo shot to left field. Blake Bortak scored the second run on a wild pitch. Lucas Steele scored when Garrett Staton walked with the bases loaded. Bennett then scored on a passed ball for an 11-4 lead. Aaron Walton scored the 12^th run of the game when Anderson walked with the bases loaded. Bortak then singled to left field, driving in Garrett Howe and Staton, ending the game with a 14-4 score.
 
In game two for Samford, Staton went 6-for-6 with three RBI. Walton homered, going 1-for-4 with three RBI. Jacob Newman (2-0) pitched 2.0 innings in relief allowing one run on two hits to earn the win on the mound.
 
VMI was led by Morgan, going 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Marcus Van Alstine (1-2) took the loss for the Keydets, tossing a third of an inning, allowing eight runs on six hits.
 
VMI led 9-4 after 7.5 innings, but Samford posted 12 runs in the bottom of the 12^th for the 16-9 win. Cade Carr singled to drive in Bennett for the inning's first run. Walton then hit a three-run homer to left field to bring Samford to within one run. Staton scored the game-tying run when Steele walked with the bases loaded. Bennett then singled to drive in two runs and Steele scored on an error on the play for a 12-9 lead. John Whitney singled to drive in Bennett for a 13-9 score. The final three runs scored on a three-run home run by Staton for a 16-9 final score.
 
Samford and VMI will conclude their series with a single game Sunday. 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).