BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Junior Lucas Waters went 2-for-5 with five RBI, including a grand slam, as the Eastern Kentucky baseball sprinted out to a 6-0 lead after two innings and then held on for a 7-5 victory on Sunday afternoon at Joe Lee Griffin Field. EKU improves to 19-21-1 overall and 8-8 in conference play with the victory while Samford drops to 22-21 and 7-11.

Eastern jumped to an early lead with two runs in the first. Junior Tyler Barnett, who went 4-for-4 on the day, singled with one out and then came around to score on a Waters RBI single. Sophomore Matt Davis knocked in Waters with a run-scoring single of his own.

The Colonels then loaded the bases with one out in the second to bring up Waters who homered over the left-field fence to give Eastern a 6-0 lead.

Samford came back with three runs in the fifth inning to cut the lead to 6-3. Garrett Rice hit a three-run homer with Louis Rojas and Luke Peavy on base to cut the EKU lead to three runs.

Samford plated a run in the seventh inning and another in the eighth to make the score 6-5. The run in the seventh inning was scored when Peavy scored from third base on a wild pitch. In the eighth inning, Whitehead hit a solo home run to cut the lead to one run.

The Colonels added one run in the top of the ninth inning to make the final score 7-5. Barnett singled up the middle to drive in Oliver for the game's final run.

The Bulldogs loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth but junior McKenzie Willoughby got Whitehead to fly out to right to pick up his second save in as many days.

Freshman Jim Clancy (3-1) allowed one runs in 2.2 innings of relief work to pick up the victory. Chandler Tidwell pitched 2.0 innings, giving up six runs on seven hits to take the loss on the mound for Samford.

The Colonels return to action on Wednesday, traveling to take on in-state rival Louisville. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.