Feb. 11, 2003

Samford hits the road for the first time Tuesday when the Bulldogs travel to Auburn for a nonconference baseball game. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park. Fans can listen to the game via the internet with play-by-play by Justin Firesheets or follow live action via gametracker at www.samfordsports.com.

The Bulldogs took two of three games from VMI last weekend, 2-1 and 3-1, but fell to the Keydets, 4-3, in the final game of the series. Samford only hit .263 as a team , scored eight runs and recorded 21 hits against the Keydets. Red-shirt freshman left fielder Matt Alling went 5-for-7 in two games wtih three RBI and one run scored. Alling leads the team hitting .714 on the season. Samford's pitching staff held VMI to six runs in 23 innings for a team ERA of 2.35. Senior-right hander Frank Allen Yeilding, in his first appearance since last March, struck out three batters in 3.2 innings of work to earn his first win of the season. Freshman right-hander Chandler Tidwell picked up his first career win in relief duty. Tidwell gave up one hit in three innings.

Auburn took two of three games from Virginia Commonwealth in its season opening series at home. The Tigers won game one, 5-4, and took Sunday's game, 5-0. VCU knocked off Auburn, 5-2 in game two. Sean Gamble hit a walk-off three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth to propel the Tigers in that first game. Colby Paxton, Cory Dueitt, and Steven Register combined for a four-hit shutout in the final game of the series. The Tigers enter Tuesday's game ranked No. 20.

Last Time at Auburn, Derek Tharpe struck out seven batters while Major Allred went 2-for-2 at the plate with an RBI as Samford defeated Auburn, 5-2 at Plainsman Park. It was head coach Tim Parenton's first win over the Tigers in nine tries and first win over a ranked opponent. Auburn was ranked 25th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll after sweeping Virginia Commonwealth. Ehren Wassermann earned his first career save. Samford outhit Auburn, 8-7 and opened the season 4-0 for the first time under Parenton.

Samford is 1-9 all-time against Auburn under Parenton splitting last season's series. The Bulldogs defeated Auburn, 5-2, in Auburn, but fell to the Tigers at Joe Lee Griffin Field, 6-4.

The Bulldogs hit the road for their first nonconference series. Samford travels to Nicholls State this weekend. Friday's first pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. Saturday's and Sunday's games are both schedule for 1 p.m.