BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (2/19/22) – Jacob Hager recorded his second multi-hit outing in as many games, but the Arkansas State baseball team could not overcome a hot-hitting Samford offense, dropping an 11-4 decision Saturday at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
Hager notched a 3-for-4 day at the dish with a two-run homer and a run scored for A-State (0-2), which tallied 11 hits on the afternoon. The Bulldogs (2-0) clinched the series with the win behind three homers and solid work on the mound.
Justin Medlin (0-1) drew the start for the Red Wolves and pitched 3 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on three hits and taking the loss. A-State utilized five other hurlers out of the bullpen the rest of the way. Blake Bortak (1-0) tossed 4 1/3 frames to earn the win for Samford.
Jaylon Deshazier tallied a pair of hits, as did Ben Klutts. Garrett Olson saw time at second and homered in his lone plate appearance.
Maurice Hampton led the Bulldogs, going 3-for-4 with three runs and three RBI, finishing just a double shy of the cycle. Towns King and Garrett Howe both homered as part of two-hit performances, while Will David also tallied a pair of hits. Kaden Dreier also drove in three runs to match Hampton for the team lead.
Samford struck first in the third on a solo shot to right by Howe before adding four more in the fourth. King singled in Kace Garner, then Hampton homered to left to score three more.
A-State responded in the fifth on Hager's two-run homer, the first of his career, plating Daedrick Cail, but then the Bulldogs added insurance runs in the fifth and sixth on a Dreier RBI single, a King homer and a sac fly by Colton Ledbetter.
In the eighth, Olson's homer to left-center field scored Cason Tollett to make it 8-4. Samford would then push across the game's final three runs in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by Howe and a sac fly by Dreier that plated a pair.
NEXT UP
A-State looks to close out the series with a win, taking the field at 1 p.m. CT. Tyler Jeans is set to draw the start for A-State. The contest can be viewed live on ESPN+, while the radio broadcast can be heard on The Ticket Radio Network stations 95.3/96.9/104.1 FM and 970 AM.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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