GREENVILLE, S.C. (Interstat) – Samford and Western Carolina meet Friday in a Southern Conference doubleheader at Fluor Field at the West End, with the afternoon game scheduled to start and the evening contest to follow.

The Bulldogs (30-24) enter with momentum after winning two of their last three, including a 9-5 victory over the Catamounts on Thursday. The Catamounts (36-22) dropped that game but rebounded later Thursday with a 4-3 win over UNC Greensboro.

Samford won the most recent head-to-head matchup, 9-5, on Thursday. Western Carolina took two of three in a series March 21-22, winning 10-9 and 11-9 before Samford shut them out 11-0 on March 20.

Players to watch

Samford second baseman Jeffrey Ince went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs in Thursday’s win. In his last 10 games, Ince has hits in six, including multi-hit efforts against Wofford (May 14 and May 16). He has 12 RBIs over his past seven contests.

Western Carolina’s Noah Quarless matched Ince’s production Thursday, going 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs against Samford. Over his last five games, the catcher/designated hitter has three home runs and six RBIs, headlined by a 1-for-4, three-RBI day against UNC Greensboro on May 15.

Pitching matchup

Left-hander John Whitney gave Samford 3⅓ scoreless innings in relief Thursday, striking out three and allowing no hits. For Western Carolina, Davis Wright posted a quality start in the 4-3 win over UNC Greensboro on Thursday, tossing five innings, allowing three hits and no earned runs with four strikeouts. James Fordham also threw 3⅔ innings in that game, allowing three earned runs on three hits.

Projections

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-5 Samford win, with an ELO rating giving the Bulldogs a 57.10 percent chance of victory.

The weather forecast calls for temperatures at game time.

The doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.