.svg){kind=small}
No. 2 Samford wins 2021 Southern Conference Baseball Championship
The Bulldogs claim 8-6 walk-off win against No. 4 seed Western Carolina
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Towns King hit a game-tying two-run home run with one out in the ninth inning and Max Pinto walked it off with a two-run homer of his own three batters later as No. 2 seed Samford rallied for an 8-6 win over No. 4 seed Westeern Carolina and its third 2021 Southern Conference Baseball title on Sunday at Fluor Field.
Samford (35-22), which scored seven runs over the final three innings, reaches the NCAA Regionals for its second time in the last four years and will learn its postseason fate on Monday, May 31, at 12 p.m. ET, when the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship Selection Show airs on ESPN2.
Western Carolina finishes the season with a 28-21 record under head coach Bobby Moranda and reached the title game for the first time since 2016.
King, who won the Walt Nadzak Most Outstanding Player award, was 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs, while Taylor Garris went 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
Hamp Skinner, making his third start of the season, worked the first 5 1/3 innings, striking out seven and allowing two runs on five hits with no walks to earn a spot on the all-tournament team. Carson Cupo closed it and was the beneficiary of the four-run ninth, improving to 9-0. The Leeds, Alabama, native allowed one run on two hits and no walks.
The game was scoreless through the first three innings before Justice Bigbie, an all-tournament selection, tallied his 75th hit and 50th RBI of the season to place the Catamounts on the board. However, Samford’s Will David answered in the bottom of the fifth with a sacrifice fly to tie the game at one run.
The Catamounts added three more runs in the sixth on a Pascanel Ferreras sacrifice fly and a Luke Robinson two-run home run. Catamount starting pitcher Tristen Campbell, who pitched 8 1/3 innings, would then toss a scoreless bottom frame to prevent the Bulldogs from cutting into the lead.
The Bulldogs trailed through the top of the seventh, 5-1, but broke out with three runs in the bottom of the frame on King’s RBI single and a Taylor Garris two-run single. Neither team scored in the eighth before Western Carolina’s Zach Ketterman RBI double made it a 6-4 game with Samford coming up for the final time.
Samford wasted little time making it interesting in the bottom of the ninth, with Ryan Crockett reaching on a popup to first that was lost in the sun to drop for a base hit. One out later, King’s homer tied it and after a Will David single and a fielder’s choice, Pinto homered to right center for the walk-off win.
Western Carolina’s Jack Snyder (2-1) took the loss, allowing two runs on two hits in 1/3 innings of work.
In addition to the Samford pitching duo of Skinner and Cupo, two additional pitchers, Jalon Long and Billy Creger, appeared in the contest for the Bulldogs to help earn the conference baseball crown for the team.
Samford’s Garrett Brown, a junior right-handed pitcher, earned the Pinnacle Award as the student-athlete with the highest GPA on the championship-winning team.
2021 Southern Conference Championship All-Tournament Team
SP – Jackson Kelley, Mercer
SP – Hamp Skinner, Samford
RP – Dalton Rhadans, Wofford
C – Luke Robinson, Western Carolina
1B – Angelo Dispigna, Mercer
2B – Brooks Carlson, Samford
SS – Pascanel Ferreras, Western Carolina
3B – Will David, Samford
OF – Towns King, Samford
OF – Max Pinto, Samford
OF – Justice Bigbie, Western Carolina
DH – Tyler McManus, Samford
Walt Nadzak Most Outstanding Player
Towns King, Samford
Pinnacle Award (highest GPA on championship-winning team)
Garrett Brown, Samford
May 27 (Thursday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 1: No. 4 Western Carolina 16, No. 1 Wofford 5
Game 2: No. 2 Samford 10, No. 3 Mercer 8
May 28 (Friday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 3: No. 1 Wofford 8, No. 3 Mercer 7
Game 4: No. 4 Western Carolina vs. No. 2 Samford, suspended
May 29 (Saturday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 4: No. 2 Samford 19, No. 4 Western Carolina 7 (7 innings)
Game 5: No. 4 Western Carolina 11, No. 1 Wofford 6
May 30 (Sunday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 6: No. 2 Samford 8, No. 4 Western Carolina 6
Samford (35-22), which scored seven runs over the final three innings, reaches the NCAA Regionals for its second time in the last four years and will learn its postseason fate on Monday, May 31, at 12 p.m. ET, when the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship Selection Show airs on ESPN2.
Western Carolina finishes the season with a 28-21 record under head coach Bobby Moranda and reached the title game for the first time since 2016.
King, who won the Walt Nadzak Most Outstanding Player award, was 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs, while Taylor Garris went 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
Hamp Skinner, making his third start of the season, worked the first 5 1/3 innings, striking out seven and allowing two runs on five hits with no walks to earn a spot on the all-tournament team. Carson Cupo closed it and was the beneficiary of the four-run ninth, improving to 9-0. The Leeds, Alabama, native allowed one run on two hits and no walks.
The game was scoreless through the first three innings before Justice Bigbie, an all-tournament selection, tallied his 75th hit and 50th RBI of the season to place the Catamounts on the board. However, Samford’s Will David answered in the bottom of the fifth with a sacrifice fly to tie the game at one run.
The Catamounts added three more runs in the sixth on a Pascanel Ferreras sacrifice fly and a Luke Robinson two-run home run. Catamount starting pitcher Tristen Campbell, who pitched 8 1/3 innings, would then toss a scoreless bottom frame to prevent the Bulldogs from cutting into the lead.
The Bulldogs trailed through the top of the seventh, 5-1, but broke out with three runs in the bottom of the frame on King’s RBI single and a Taylor Garris two-run single. Neither team scored in the eighth before Western Carolina’s Zach Ketterman RBI double made it a 6-4 game with Samford coming up for the final time.
Samford wasted little time making it interesting in the bottom of the ninth, with Ryan Crockett reaching on a popup to first that was lost in the sun to drop for a base hit. One out later, King’s homer tied it and after a Will David single and a fielder’s choice, Pinto homered to right center for the walk-off win.
Western Carolina’s Jack Snyder (2-1) took the loss, allowing two runs on two hits in 1/3 innings of work.
In addition to the Samford pitching duo of Skinner and Cupo, two additional pitchers, Jalon Long and Billy Creger, appeared in the contest for the Bulldogs to help earn the conference baseball crown for the team.
Samford’s Garrett Brown, a junior right-handed pitcher, earned the Pinnacle Award as the student-athlete with the highest GPA on the championship-winning team.
2021 Southern Conference Championship All-Tournament Team
SP – Jackson Kelley, Mercer
SP – Hamp Skinner, Samford
RP – Dalton Rhadans, Wofford
C – Luke Robinson, Western Carolina
1B – Angelo Dispigna, Mercer
2B – Brooks Carlson, Samford
SS – Pascanel Ferreras, Western Carolina
3B – Will David, Samford
OF – Towns King, Samford
OF – Max Pinto, Samford
OF – Justice Bigbie, Western Carolina
DH – Tyler McManus, Samford
Walt Nadzak Most Outstanding Player
Towns King, Samford
Pinnacle Award (highest GPA on championship-winning team)
Garrett Brown, Samford
May 27 (Thursday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 1: No. 4 Western Carolina 16, No. 1 Wofford 5
Game 2: No. 2 Samford 10, No. 3 Mercer 8
May 28 (Friday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 3: No. 1 Wofford 8, No. 3 Mercer 7
Game 4: No. 4 Western Carolina vs. No. 2 Samford, suspended
May 29 (Saturday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 4: No. 2 Samford 19, No. 4 Western Carolina 7 (7 innings)
Game 5: No. 4 Western Carolina 11, No. 1 Wofford 6
May 30 (Sunday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 6: No. 2 Samford 8, No. 4 Western Carolina 6
-www.SoConSports.com-