BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford University baseball team earned a 12-3 non-conference victory over North Alabama Tuesday night at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
 
With the win, Samford improved its season record to 32-16. North Alabama fell to 16-31 with the loss.
 
After the Bulldogs fell behind in the top of the third inning, a big bottom of the third, with Samford scoring eight runs, helped the Bulldogs pull away.
 
"They got their run in the top of the inning and then our guys did what they just always seem to do, they just answered and scored," Samford head coach Tony David said. "Prieto started it off with a shot in the gap and then Rod hit that missile out to left. We've had a lot of really big innings where it just becomes contagious, and guys just keep hitting. They helped us some with some walks, but we picked up a lot of big hits during the inning as well."
 
For Samford in the win, Josh Rodriguez went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Andrew Bennett drove in two runs with a 1-for-2 performance. Miller Riggins (1-1) pitched 3.0 innings, giving up one run on one hit and striking out four batters to earn the win on the mound for Samford.
 
For North Alabama, Kyle Machado went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI. Dominick McIntyre homered for the Lions, going 1-for-4 with an RBI. John Allen Stogner (2-6) pitched 2.0 innings, giving up six runs on two hits to take the loss on the mound for UNA.
 
North Alabama took the lead first when McIntyre hit a solo home run in the top of the third inning for a 1-0 Lions' lead.
 
Samford then took control of the game with eight runs in the bottom of the third inning. Rodriguez hit a two-run home run to get the scoring started in the bottom of the third. Lucas Steele and Josh Anderson both walked with the bases loaded for a 4-1 Samford lead. Bennett then hit a two-run single to make the score 6-1. Aaron Walton then hit an RBI double, and Angelo Prieto delivered a sacrifice fly to score Bennett to give Samford an 8-1 lead.
 
After UNA plated two runs in the top of the fifth inning to cut the lead to 8-3, Samford answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth to push the lead to 10-3. Cade Carr and Garrett Staton each had RBI singles as Samford grabbed a seven-run lead.
 
The Bulldogs added two final runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to finish the scoring. Rodriguez had an RBI single, and Parker McDonald hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Brayden Broome to make the final score 12-3.
 
The Bulldogs, who currently sit in first place in the SoCon standings, will play a three-game SoCon series at second-place UNC Greensboro this weekend. The teams are set to play Friday at 5 p.m. (CT), Saturday at 1 p.m. (CT) and Sunday at 12 p.m. (CT). All three games can be seen live on ESPN+, and live stats will also be available for all three contests. For links to follow all of Samford's games this season, click on the following link: BASEBALL SCHEDULE.


 
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).