CHARLESTON, S.C. —
Andrew Buffkin tossed a complete game shutout while
Jayden Williams powered the offense with a grand slam, carrying The Citadel (27-22, 8-9 SoCon) to an 8-0 victory over visiting Samford (25-23, 9-8 SoCon) in the back-half of a doubleheader on Friday night at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.
Williams led with a career performance, recording five RBIs, hitting a grand slam, scoring twice and stealing two bases. Notably, Williams' grand slam serves as the first for the Bulldogs since
Rhyder Poppell hit one against Western Michigan on April 5, 2025.
Lane Tobin contributed on the bases as well, scoring three runs for the second consecutive game and swiping two bags.
Christian Stratis added two RBIs and drew a walk.
Notably, The Citadel recorded the team's second consecutive game with at least five stolen bases; additionally, the victory serves as the first shutout win over Samford all-time and the first series win over the visiting Bulldogs since 2022.
On the mound, Buffkin (5-2) logged his first-ever DI collegiate complete game, tossing 9.0 innings with six strikeouts and zero allowing runs, securing the junior his fifth win on the year. He joins Shane Connolly as the most recent Citadel pitcher to throw a complete-game shutout, with Connolly posting his edition in 2019 against VMI.
For Samford, Cade Carr paced the visitors behind a four-hit day while Gus Gandy added a pair of knocks as well. Mason Blasche (3-7) pitched the opening 5.0 frames en route to the loss, surrendering five runs, including four earned, on four hits with a trio of walks and three strikeouts.
"It's tough to lose if you don't give up any runs. I think Buffkin battled through some tough innings. I thought we played high-level defense all over the field. Not just one guy making plays, but he creates that with the tempo and the way he attacks the zone," said head coach
Russell Triplett. "And then I thought we maybe had as good an at-bat throughout the game as we've had in a long time. We didn't have a lot to show for it in hits, but guys had some big at-bats, some long walks, and big two-strike battles. And then, obviously, J-Will got the big grand slam, which we needed early in the game. Great day for the 'Dogs."
Up next, The Citadel concludes the three-game set against Samford on Saturday, May 9, with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.
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