April 27, 2002

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Heath Owen doubled to right center field scoring Grant Caldwell and Kip Snowden as Samford rallied from a 4-2 deficit in the bottom of the seventh to defeat Georgia St, 5-4 Saturday afternoon in the second game of the doubleheader at Joe Lee Griffin Field. Georgia St. won game one 6-1. The Bulldogs (23-23, 10-14 A-Sun) claimed the conference series from the Panthers (20-26, 10-11 A-Sun) winning two out of three games.

Ehren Wassermann (5-2) picked up the win in relief of starter Derek Tharpe. Tharpe gave up two runs in five innings on eight hits while striking out four. Wassermann allowed two runs on five hits in two innings pitched and struck out three. Brett Strickland (3-5) took the loss for GSU after relieving Jonathan Craig. Strickland gave up two runs on two hits.

Samford trailed 4-2 going into the bottom of the seventh. Sae Evans led off the bottom portion of the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Grant Caldwell singled to the right side giving the Bulldogs runners on the corners with no outs. Kip Snowden reached on a fielder's choice to score Sae Evans while Caldwell was safe at second on an error by GSU's third baseman. Owen then doubled to the gap. Caldwell scored and Snowden beat the tag at home, giving the Bulldogs the victory.

Samford took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning on Owen's RBI single scoring Caldwell. The Panthers answered in the top of the second on Sean Fitzgerald's RBI single tying the game at 1. The Bulldogs regained the lead when Cory Sumner reached on a fielder's choice scoring Eli Iorg, who had singled. But, GSU tied the game at 2 on Dustin Phillips solo home run to left field.

Georgia St. took the lead with two runs on four hits in the top of the seventh. But Samford answered back with the three-run inning. Caldwell, Owen and Iorg each had two hits in the second game while Joe Denson and Mario White each added one hit. Phillips and Michael Nelson each went 3-for-4 for Georgia St.

In game one, the Panthers used a four-run fifth inning to break open a 1-1 game on their way to the 6-1 win over the Bulldogs.

GSU took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning when Josh Vandiver singled up the middle scoring Kyle Breitbach. Samford tied the game in the bottom of the inning on a solo home run by Robert Evans.

The Panthers went ahead 5-1 with four runs on three hits in the fifth. Breitbach's two-RBI single through the left side ignited the Panthers. GSU added one insurance run in the sixth to lead 6-1.

David Hawkins (5-6) pitched a complete game striking out six and gave up one run on seven hits. Scott Fowler (2-4) took the loss for Samford. Fowler gave up three runs, two earned, on four hits through 4.1 innings of work.

Phillips and Vandiver each finished with two hits for the Panthers in game one. Vandiver also had two RBI. Josh Rhodes went 2-for-3 to lead the Bulldogs in game one.

Samford hits the road next week. The Bulldogs will play at Birmingham-Southern Tuesday in a make-up of the Mar. 20 game. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Scrushy-Striplin Field.