Baseball slips to Bulldogs over weekend

Davidson baseball entered last weekend looking to maintain a top-8 position in the SoCon with only a few weeks to play before the SoCon tournament. They faced a formidable opponent, however, in the Samford Bulldogs. The Bulldogs came to Davidson and swept the three-game series handily, pounding out 41 hits and 36 runs against a struggling Wildcat pitching staff.

In game one, Henry Sisson ’15 took the mound looking to continue his hot pitching. Sisson struggled early, allowing five hits and two walks, which, coupled with two Davidson errors, allowed Samford to jump out to a 6-0 lead after 2 innings. Sisson then settled into a groove allowing just one more hit before being pulled in the seventh. Sisson finished with six innings pitched, four earned runs, and three strikeouts. The ‘Cats finally got on the board in the fifth on a Jake Berman ’12 double, and a 2-run double from Drew Gadaire ’12 made the score 6-3. The offense continued in the sixth as Calvin Sigelbaum ’12 and Berman each drew RBI walks to bring Davidson within one.  6-5 was as close as the ‘Cats would get, though. The Wildcat bullpen allowed ten runs over the final three innings, while the offense mustered just one more on the way to a 16-6 defeat. Berman led the ‘Cats offensively in the loss going 3-4 with 2 RBI and a run scored.

In game two, Davidson again fell behind early, down 2-0 after the top of the first. However, Berman would continue his hot hitting with a lead-off double, and he was driven in by a Forrest Brandt ’14 double to cut the score to 2-1. Berman then gave Davidson a 3-2 lead in the second inning with a 2-run homer, his sixth of the season. The Davidson bats went silent from there, with the Wildcats scattering just three hits over the final seven innings. Davidson pitcher Ryan Overcash ’12 pitched well but allowed a 2-run homer to Samford’s Saxson Butler in the fifth that gave the Bulldogs a 4-3 lead. And with the Davidson bats still not producing, the Bulldogs cruised to a 5-3 victory after tacking on an insurance run in the ninth. The top three hitters in the Davidson lineup, Berman, Brandt and Gadaire, combined for all six Davidson hits on the game.

In game three, Samford took advantage of a home run, a triple, and an error to build a 3-0 lead on just two hits after three innings. The Wildcats found themselves down 4-1 after the top of the fifth, but a four-run fifth pulled the ‘Cats in front. Samford’s Kyle Putkonen walked the bases loaded, and Andrew Barna ’13 singled home two runs. Gadaire followed Barna with a 2-run single of his own to make the score 5-4 in favor of the ‘Cats. Davidson starter Clark Beeker ’15 left the game in position for the win in the sixth inning, but the Wildcats’ bullpen woes would continue. Six Davidson pitchers combined to allow 11 Samford runs over the final three innings, as the Bulldogs blasted their way to a 15-6 victory. Gadaire continued his exceptional series going 2-4 with 2 RBI but his strong hitting couldn’t compensate for the Wildcats’ poor pitching.

Following the series, Davidson (16-25 overall, 7-17 SoCon) fell to ninth place in the conference, one spot out of playoff contention. They take on The Citadel this weekend for three games as they look to regain the eighth position and remain in the playoff mix. The series begins Friday at home at 5 pm and concludes with a doubleheader on Sunday.