GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) baseball team fell 8-4 while facing the Samford Bulldogs in The Southern Conference (SoCon) action on Friday night at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bulldogs scored the game's first runs with Josh Rodriguez hitting a two-run home run in the top of the third inning off the batter's eye in center. Jackson Harris then scored on a sacrifice fly hit to center field by Garrett Staton and Howe later scored on an error to make it 4-0 Samford.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Spartans cut the Bulldogs' lead in half when
Tyler Steele singled up the middle to bring
Mitchell Smith and
Jacob Dilley around to score to shave the deficit to 4-2.
After Rodriguez doubled for Samford to begin the seventh, he scored on a double to left by Staton. Staton then scored on an RBI single through the right side from Lucas Steele. However, the Spartans answered with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning.
Tyler Steele grounded out to score Dilley for the first run before
Luke Jenkins singled through the right side to plate
Luke Holland. After seven innings, Samford led UNCG 6-4.
The Bulldogs took a 7-4 lead in the top of the eighth when Rodriguez singled to right to score Blake Bortak, who was pinch running for Andrew Bennett after he hit a leadoff triple to right-center.
Samford tacked on one more run with an RBI single up the middle from Bortak in the top of the ninth, which sealed the 8-4 victory for the Bulldogs in the series opener.
NOTES:
- Making his sixth start of the season, Hunter Shuey pitched 6.2 innings for the Spartans. He walked one and had a career-high eight strikeouts.
- Grant Aycock finished the game on the mound in relief and struck out six while walking two.
- Steele paced the Spartans offensively and matched his season high with three RBI.
- Holland and Luke Jenkins each led UNCG with two hits.
- Dilley scored two of the Spartans' four runs.
PITCHING RECORDS:
Michael Ross: W, 11-0
Hunter Shuey: L, 6-1
Carson Lore: Save, 7
RECORDS:
UNCG: 29-18, 13-6 SoCon
SAM: 33-16, 13-3 SoCon
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UP NEXT
The Spartans take on the Bulldogs again on Saturday with a 2:00 p.m. first pitch scheduled at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
The first 100 fans at Saturday's game will get a FREE rally towel!