PADUCAH, Ky. – Senior Garrett Rice hit a go-ahead grand slam with one out in the seventh inning to break a 4-4 tie as the Samford Bulldogs ended the Eastern Kentucky baseball team's season for the second straight year with a 9-4 victory on Friday afternoon at the 2007 O'Reilly OVC Tournament. The Colonels finish the season with a record of 24-29-1 while the Bulldogs improved to 31-27.
Samford opened the seventh with back-to-back singles and Luke Peavy then sacrificed the runners to second and third. Eastern intentionally walked Louis Rojas to bring up Rice who smashed a high-drive over the scoreboard in left-center field to give the Bulldogs an 8-4 lead.
The Colonels jumped on top with a run in the first for the third straight game. Junior Lucas Waters doubled with one out and then came home when sophomore Matt Davis roped an RBI double into the left field corner.
Samford took its first lead of the day with two unearned runs in the second. The Bulldogs put runners on first and second with none out and then loaded the bases when Tripp Swann dropped a sacrifice bunt down the third base line which Waters fielded but his throw to first came in low and Davis was unable to find the bag allowing Swann to reach.
EKU sophomore starter Eric Hash almost got out of the jam as he struck out John Morgan and then got Bill Whitehead to pop out to shortstop but first-team All-OVC shortstop Michael Marseco slapped a two-run single just over the glove of Waters to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead.
The Colonels jumped back on top in the fourth on junior Joe Oliver's third home run of the season, a two-run shot over the left-field fence.
Eastern added a run in the fifth as Barnett doubled to lead off the inning and then came home one out later on an RBI double from senior Tony Wells.
The Bulldogs cut the lead to 4-3 in the fifth with a little help from the Colonel defense. Marseco drove a ball into the right-center field gap which Barrows relayed to Barnett and his throw trying to get Marseco at third got away from Waters allowing the run to score.
Samford tied the game at four with a run in the sixth but a sparkling play by Barnett prevented the Bulldogs from taking the lead. Samford put runners on first and third with none out and Tripp Swann then smoked a ball that looked as if would make into centerfield but Barnett snagged it off the bounce and flipped it to Davis who then relayed it to first to complete the double play.
Hash then hit Morgan with a pitch and Eastern turned to Willoughby who walked Bill Whitehead but then got Marseco to fly to left to end the inning. Hash got a no-decision, allowing just one earned run on six hits in 5.2 innings.
Willoughy (4-4) took the loss, allowing five earned runs in his 2.2 innings of work. Senior Joseph Edens earned the victory for Samford, throwing 3.2 innings of scoreless relief.
