Game One Box |
Game Two Box |Â
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After a heavy rainfall on Saturday altered their weekend schedule, Eastern Illinois and Samford played the final two games of their series in a doubleheader on Sunday. Samford won the first game of the day, 4-1, and rallied back in the nightcap and earned a 7-6 win in extra-innings.
Eastern Illinois dropped to 1-13 on the year while Samford improved to 9-5 overall.
Game One: Samford 4, Eastern Illinois 1
Samford applied pressure to the Eastern Illinois defense, scoring in each of the first two innings to take an early lead and won the opening game in Sunday's twin bill by a score of 4-1.
Samford got their offense started right away on Sunday as Kevin Williams Jr. put the host Bulldogs ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the first on an RBI double. Samford extended their lead in the bottom of the second inning as Branden Fryman knocked an RBI triple and later came around to score in the inning on a balk to put the score at 3-0.
The Eastern Illinois offense cut into the deficit with a two-out rally in the top of the fourth that got started by a John Turnock walk.
Jimmy Govern followed the Turnock walk with a single through the right side of the Samford defense to put runners on first and second for
Joseph Duncan. Duncan delivered with an RBI single up the middle to score Turnock and cut the Samford lead to 3-1.
Samford added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth on a lead-off solo home run by Williams Jr. put the Bulldogs back up three runs at 4-1. Â That would be just enough offense for the Bulldogs as the Samford bullpen preserved the lead and came away with a 4-1 victory.
Michael McCormick (0-2) took the loss on the mound for the Panthers as he allowed four runs in four innings of work.
Jake Haberer tossed four scoreless innings in relief, allowing just two hits, while striking out four.
Andrew Curran,
Dougie Parks,
Frankie Perrone, Duncan, Turnock, and Govern all recorded one hit each for the Panthers.
Game Two: Samford 7, Eastern Illinois 6 (10 innings)
Samford scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to force extra-innings and took advantage of an Eastern Illinois error in the bottom of the 10th to pick up a 7-6 win in the nightcap to complete the doubleheader sweep.
Samford broke the scoring column once again in the bottom half of the first inning as Austin Edens knocked a three-run home run over the wall in left and gave the Bulldogs a 3-0 advantage.
Eastern Illinois overtook the lead following a five-run third inning. Duncan started the big inning with a one-out double to center field. Curran and Beaman followed with back-to-back singles and gave the Panthers their first run of the inning. Parks and
Matt Albert worked back-to-back walks to plate another run for Eastern Illinois. With the bags full and two outs in the inning, Perrone came through in the clutch for the Panthers with a bases-clearing double down the line in left to score three runs and put Eastern Illinois ahead 5-3.
Edens pulled the Bulldogs within a run in the bottom half of the frame as he hit his second home run of the game, a solo shot this time, and cut the EIU lead to 5-4.
After a lead-off double to begin the top of the eighth off the bat of Turnock, the Panthers added an insurance run later in the inning on an RBI single by
Nicholas McCormick to extend the EIU lead to 6-4.
The Panthers got the first Samford batter out in the bottom of the ninth, but the Bulldogs worked three consecutive walks to lead the bases for Edens. Edens continued his big game as he hit a two-run double down the line in left and send the game into extras tied at six.
Jordan Fucci doubled down the line in right to start the bottom of the 10th and give the Bulldogs a runner in scoring position. Greg Mula came into the game as a pinch hitter for Samford. Mula dropped down a successful sacrifice bunt to move the runner, but an Eastern Illinois error allowed the game-winning run to score on the play as Samford took the nightcap 7-6.
Michael Starcevich (0-2) was tagged with the loss, allowing two runs (one earned) in 0.2 innings pitched.
Brent Stephens had a solid outing on the mound of the the bullpen as the right-handed pitcher tossed 5.1 innings, allowing just one run while striking out eight.
Duncan and Beaman both finished 3-for-5 at the plate to lead the EIU offense. Perrone and McCormick recorded two hits each in the nightcap.
The Panthers will return to action on Tuesday for a mid-week contest at Alabama at 6 p.m.
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