BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Interstat) — In a midweek clash of Bulldogs, Samford rallied from an early four-run deficit to defeat Alabama A&M 6-4 on Tuesday night at Joe Lee Griffin Stadium.

The game’s pivotal sequence arrived in the bottom of the fifth inning, transforming a tied contest into a Samford lead it would not relinquish. After Alabama A&M reliever Terence Sales entered with two on and one out, he appeared to escape the jam when Samford’s Souders was caught stealing at third for the second out. But on the very next pitch, Samford’s Marshall launched a two-run homer to right-center field, breaking the 4-4 deadlock and providing the decisive runs.

Samford improved to 6-9 overall, while Alabama A&M fell to 3-13.

The visiting Bulldogs from Huntsville struck first in a bizarre top of the third inning, capitalizing on a critical Samford error. With two outs and a runner on first, Samford shortstop committed a throwing error, allowing Evan Well to reach safely. Miles Jackson followed with a single to load the bases. Alabama A&M right fielder Keondre Fields then delivered the game’s biggest hit to that point, crushing a three-run homer to left field. All three runs were unearned, staking Alabama A&M to a 4-0 lead.

Samford answered immediately in the home half of the first against Alabama A&M starter Evan Hurlburt. After a one-out single by Souders, designated hitter Cade Carr connected for a two-run homer to left-center, cutting the deficit in half.

Samford chipped away again in the third. A fielding error by the Alabama A&M first baseman allowed Gandy to reach, and he later scored on an RBI single from Souders, making it 4-3. Samford third baseman Parker McDonald tied the game an inning later with a solo home run to left-center off reliever Antonio Torres.

Following Marshall’s go-ahead homer in the fifth, the Samford bullpen took over. After starter Andrew Marble allowed two hits over two scoreless innings, relievers Austin Tommasini and Drew Druckenmiller were particularly effective. Tommasini worked two scoreless frames with three strikeouts, and Druckenmiller escaped a sixth-inning jam by striking out Fields with two runners in scoring position. Druckenmiller earned the win with 1 1/3 perfect innings of relief, striking out three.

Alabama A&M’s best chance to rally came in the sixth. Well doubled and Jackson drove in a run with a groundout, but Druckenmiller entered to end the threat. The visitors put the tying run on base in the seventh and ninth innings but could not score.

Raymond Clark provided a bright spot for Alabama A&M out of the bullpen, throwing two perfect innings with two strikeouts in the seventh and eighth.

Samford out-hit Alabama A&M 9-10 but took advantage of two Alabama A&M errors, which led to three unearned runs. The result defied the pregame projections from Interstat, whose game simulator had predicted a 3-2 Samford victory and whose ELO system gave the home team a 94.5% probability to win.

Alabama A&M opens a three-game home series against Alcorn State on Friday. Samford begins a three-game set against Arkansas-Little Rock at home on Friday.