The Samford baseball team secured a series sweep over USC Upstate with a 9-6 victory on Senior Day, April 26 at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
The win brings Samford’s record to 23-19, while USC Upstate drops to 19-26. Before the game, seniors Drew Druckenmiller, Trey Higgins, Jeffrey Ince, Joseph Lee, Parker McDonald, Hayden Perry, Trey Sanders and John Whitney were recognized during Senior Day ceremonies.
Cade Carr led Samford’s offense by going 3-for-4 with a home run and an RBI. Gus Gandy also went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Luke Boykin contributed two hits in three at-bats. Jeffrey Ince hit a home run and drove in three runs while going 1-for-3 at the plate.
“We had some big swings,” Samford head coach Tony David said. “Cade got that blast and then Ince has had so many balls go off the wall or off the top of the wall that we thought were going to get out and I joked with him that he finally got the coordinates right today.”
On the mound for Samford, Noah Berry started and pitched five innings allowing three runs on three hits. Druckenmiller earned his first win of the season after pitching one inning in relief and giving up three runs on one hit. Sanders and John Malone each pitched an inning without allowing any runs. Zak Spurrier recorded his sixth save by closing out the final inning without giving up any runs.
USC Upstate saw home runs from Maloy Heaghney and Wylie Waters in their loss. Brent Stukes took the loss for USC Upstate after pitching just over five innings and allowing eight runs on eight hits.
Samford built an early lead by scoring four times in the first inning—highlighted by Carr’s solo home run followed by Ince’s three-run homer to right field for a quick advantage. After trading leads through six innings—including Waters’ three-run shot for USC Upstate—Samford responded decisively in their half of the sixth frame with four more runs to reclaim control at 9-6.
“They did a good job of answering with one and two spots, but I told the guys on the field afterward, our league is so talented and one of the things that are difference makers is the ability to respond,” David said. “They punched us in the mouth with that three-run shot after leading the whole time and if you’ve got a championship mentality, you’ve got to be able to answer there.”
Looking ahead, Samford will host Jacksonville State on Tuesday evening at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
