BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UNCG baseball team split a pair of games with Samford Friday in a Southern Conference doubleheader at Joe Lee Griffin Field. The Bulldogs held off the Spartans in the first game 7-4 before the Blue and Gold captured the nightcap by a 5-0 score. Both teams are now 5-3 in SoCon play while UNCG moves to 13-14 overall and Samford stands at 13-16.

The Spartans hit a home run in each game of the twinbill and have now produced a long ball in nine-straight games to bring their season total to 28.

The shutout is the second for UNCG this season after the Blue and Gold blanked crosstown rival North Carolina A&T 10-0 back on March 24 at NewBridge Bank Park.

Game 1

UNCG scored two early runs but Samford plated seven unanswered to capture the series opener.

Junior RHP Ryan Clark (5-2) was tagged with the loss as he allowed six runs on nine hits with three walks and four strikeouts. Jared Brasher picked up his first win of the year throwing seven strong innings surrendering just two runs on six hits with five strikeouts and one walk.

A trio of Spartans recorded double figures in the hit column with seniors Zac MacAneney and Eric Kalbfleisch adding a run scored each. Classmate Tyler Long also produced a two-hit effort. Additionally, senior Aaron Wright drove in a game-high three runs.

Samford put up the first threat in the bottom of the first as with one out, Hunter Swilling and Heath Quinn singled to put runners on the corners. However, Clark induced a fly ball to center and a pop up to short to erase the Bulldogs and keep them off of the scoreboard.

UNCG struck first in the top of the third as consecutive singles by Kalbfleisch and MacAneney with one out put Spartans on the corners. Senior infielder Hunter King was then hit by a pitch to load the bases before junior infielder Collin Woody produced an infield single that plated the game's first run. Wright came through after that with a RBI groundout to leave the Blue and Gold with a 2-0 advantage. Samford responded in the bottom of the inning, plating four runs on three hits - including a two-run home run by Alex Lee – to pull ahead by a 4-2 margin.

Two-out trouble plagued the Spartans in the bottom of the fifth as with no runners on, Heath Quinn and Austin Edens tallied a single and a double consecutively to make the score 5-2. A RBI single by T.J. Dixon in the sixth and a Edens solo home run in the bottom of the seventh pushed the Bulldogs even further in front as they would take a five-run lead to the eighth inning.

Wright would close the scoring in the top of the eighth with a two-run home run. Long singled to lead off the ninth inning but he would be stranded.

Game 2

UNCG plated four runs in the first three innings and made them stand in the second game.

Freshman RHP Andrew Wantz, who made his first-ever collegiate weekend start, kept his record unblemished and moved to 5-0 overall after hurling five scoreless innings and allowing just two hits to go along with three strikeouts. Senior RHP Tyler Frazier finished the job, tossing the final four innings and giving up just two hits while striking out a career-high eight batters to earn his second save of the season. Alex Ledford (3-3) was saddled with the loss after surrendering five runs (three earned) on eight hits with two walks and nine strikeouts.

Sophomore Ryne Sigmon was 2-for-5 with two runs scored in the game while Woody chipped in with a pair of RBI. 

UNCG took the early lead again in the second contest, this time in the top of the first via a Woody two-run blast to left field. The Spartans added a run in the top of the second when Kalbfleisch raced home from third following a wild pitch. He reached on an error to begin the frame and moved to third on consecutive sacrifice bunts by junior Ricky Guile and freshman Tripp Shelton.

With two away in the top of the third and Sigmon on second after a single and groundout, junior catcher Jake Hall roped a ball to left field for a RBI single that extended the UNCG advantage to 4-0.

Samford threatened in the bottom of the third with two outs. Dixon drew a walk and advanced to third on a failed pickoff attempt. Jared Watson also worked a walk but, after falling behind Hunter Swilling 3-1, Wantz came back and produced a huge looking strikeout to end the frame. The Bulldogs came calling again in the bottom of the fourth as a leadoff double by Quinn and a walk put runners on first and second with no outs. However, Wantz worked out of the jam inducing a 4-6-3 double play and a fly out to right to remain unscathed.

UNCG pushed for more runs in the top of the sixth as with one out and runners on first and second, Guile drew a walk to load the bags. The Spartans would come away empty, however, as Shelton grounded into an inning-ending twin killing.

Samford began to rally in the bottom of the seventh when, with two outs and no runners on, an error at short allowed Danny Rodriguez to stand on first. A base hit up the middle by Frankie Navarrete continued the rally but Frazier fanned Dixon to end the threat.

Frazier continued his dominance on the mound and Long scored an unearned run when he reached on an error and came around to score on the play to make it a 5-0 contest in the top of the eighth. Frazier then retired the side in order in the bottom of the ninth to preserve the shutout.

The Spartans and Bulldogs will play the rubber game of the series Saturday at 3 p.m.

Keep up with the UNCG baseball team all season by logging on to www.uncgspartans.com and following the Spartans' official Twitter accounts @UNCGBaseball/@uncgsports.