The struggling Presbyterian baseball program split the first two games of a non-conference series in Homewood, Ala., against Samford.

The Blue Hose won Friday’s opener, 7-5, and fell on Saturday, 7-4. The rubber game is at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

On Saturday, Presbyterian (5-21) broke on top but yielded three runs apiece in the first and fifth innings to fall behind Samford (11-14). Center fielder Jake Souders homered, and shortstop Gus Gandy doubled in three runs.

Mason Blasche (1-5) limited PC to an unearned run in six innings. Christian Charalambous (1-4) took the loss.

Designated hitter Emory Guilford went 3/4 with a triple to lead the Blue Hose.

PC opened the series by breaking a five-game skid, begun with center fielder James Green’s first-inning homer. Green went 4/4 with three runs scored and also doubled. Nick Smith also homered.

Reliever Jeremiah Hampton (2-2) pitched three innings in relief of starter Tyrell Williams on Saturday. Drew Druckenmiller (0-1) took the loss.

Trey Higgins and Luke Boykin homered for the Bulldogs.

Presbyterian visits Western Carolina (17-11) on Tuesday at 5 before taking on Charleston Southern in a three-game Big South series next weekend.

Based on a small sample, home field is worth eight runs for Fountain Inn, which shut out Laurens (4-11, 4-5 Region 1-4A) three times last week, 10-0 on both Monday and Friday, 2-0 on Wednesday.

In Friday night’s baseball game, Fountain Inn (15-1, 9-0) scored two runs in the first inning, one in the second and third, four in the fourth and two in the fifth to bring the game to an early end. First baseman Anderson Hayes homered went 3/3 with three runs batted in.

Logan Martin, Carson Nations, William Nunley and Ke’Allen Blackwell stroked the four Laurens singles.

Braden Passmore struck out six Raiders. Martin started for Laurens and allowed eight runs (seven earned) in 3-1/3 innings.

Laurens Academy (5-3) won its fourth straight game at Wardlaw (3-2) on Friday, winning 11-4.

Third baseman Wyatt Little went 3/3 with two doubles for the Crusaders. Braydon Burke earned the win, striking out eight.

Judah McLendon took the loss.

Green Upstate (6-2) defeated Thornwell (4-7), 5-2, in spite of a 3/4 night for the Saints’ Sam Robertson, who took the loss on the hill.

The Simpsonville-based Owls got five quality innings from Elly Meeks, who allowed four hits and one run.

Mid-Carolina held off Clinton (6-3, 2-2 Region 3-2A), 10-8, in Friday’s softball game. Lila Kuykendall and Taylor Davis each collected three hits for the Red Devils. Four different batters had two hits for the Rebels (6-4, 2-0).

Laurens (7-8, 2-0 Region 1-4A) pounded Southside, 17-1. The Raiders scored 11 runs in the first inning and two in the second.

The Raiders only batted twice, but Addison Trevino managed to drive in five runs with three hits.

Neither starter Erin Powell nor reliever Neely Stoddard surrendered a hit to the Tigers.

Abbeville similarly crushed Thornwell (4-4), 16-2. Bre Coats’ triple drove in a run, as did Camden Nelson’s single. Rylee Tiller went 3/3 for the Panthers.

Radford (14-18, 3-3) swept a series against Presbyterian softball (13-18, 2-4) winning, 5-0, on Friday and sweeping a Saturday doubleheader, 10-2 and 12-9.

Six Blue Hose women earned All-America designation as PC finished fifth in the NCAA wrestling championships in Coralville, Iowa.

Chloe Dearwester, Jenna Anderson, Alyssa Mahan, Maddie Kubicki, May Cuyler and Maria Aiono all finished from fourth through eighth to make the All-America team.

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