BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Interstat) — The Samford Bulldogs used a pair of early home runs and a strong start from Noah Berry to secure a Southern Conference series sweep, holding off the Virginia Military Institute Keydets 5-3 on Sunday, April 12, 2026, at Joe Lee Griffin Stadium.

The game, which began in the afternoon and concluded in the evening, saw Samford erase an early three-run deficit in a dramatic first inning and never relinquish the lead again to improve to .500 on the season at 17-17. VMI fell to 24-11.

The most critical sequence of the game unfolded in the bottom of the first inning. After VMI had jumped ahead 3-0 in the top half without a hit, capitalizing on walks and an error, Samford answered forcefully against Keydets starter Peyton Dhein. Cade Carr doubled down the left field line to plate John Anderson Dutton. Two batters later, Luke Boykin launched a two-run homer to center field, instantly tying the game. The Bulldogs were not done. After a pitching change, Jake Souders delivered an RBI single in the second inning to score Garrett Gandy, giving Samford a 4-3 lead it would not surrender.

That rally made a winner of Berry, who settled in after a chaotic first inning to deliver a quality start. The Samford right-hander worked five innings, allowing one earned run on five hits with two strikeouts. His performance provided stability after the Bulldogs’ bullpen had been heavily used in the first two games of the series.

Samford added a crucial insurance run in the seventh inning when Souders, who finished 3 for 5, hit a solo home run to left-center off VMI reliever Hunter Sipe. That blast extended the lead to 5-3 and proved decisive.

VMI mounted threats but struggled to deliver a key hit with runners in scoring position, finishing with seven hits. They pulled within a run in the sixth on an RBI single from Ayden Schnarrs and again in the seventh on a daring steal of home by Bradley Garner, who had tripled. Garner went 2 for 4.

The Keydets’ bullpen kept them within striking distance. After Dhein failed to record an out in the second, Sipe provided 4 1/3 innings of long relief, allowing just one run on the Souders homer. Buddy Baker finished with two perfect innings of work. For Samford, Austin Tommasini earned a save with 3 2/3 innings of one-run relief after Will Andre recorded only one out in the sixth.

The victory completed a three-game sweep for the Bulldogs over the Keydets, following wins of 10-4 and 8-3 on Friday and Saturday. The result defied the pregame projection from Interstat, whose simulator had forecast a 7-6 VMI victory, though its ELO rating system favored Samford with a 71.2% win probability.

VMI will look to rebound on the road at Norfolk State on Tuesday. Samford prepares for a midweek challenge against Mississippi State, also on Tuesday.