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Charleston, S.C. - Second-seeded Samford rallied from a six-run deficit against No. 7 seed Western Carolina, plating two runs with two outs in the home half of the ninth to force extra innings before walking-off with an 8-7 victory Wednesday to advance in the 2015 Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Mountain Shore Properties.

The Bulldogs remain in the winner's bracket and will play the winner of the No. 3 Wofford vs. No. 6 Furman game in the night session on Thursday. WCU will face the loser of the Wofford-Furman game in an elimination game on Thursday.

WCU's second game is now slated for an approximate 5:00 pm first pitch on Thursday evening as the third game of the tournament's second full day. Fans are encouraged to check CatamountSports.com or SoConSports.com for any additional alterations to the tournament schedule.

Samford's Jared Watson hit a pinch-hit, two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the ninth to forge a 7-all tie as the Bulldogs completed the comeback from a 6-0 first-inning hole. In the bottom of the next inning, a pair of walks and a passed ball put runners at second and third. With the infield drawn in, Samford second baseman Frankie Navarrete delivered an RBI single through the right side to propel the Bulldogs to the win, score pinch-runner Gregory Mula with the winning run.

Navarrete's base knock provided a stunning conclusion to a contest that saw the Bulldogs down a half-dozen runs before even coming up to bat.

Western Carolina jumped all over Samford starter Alex Ledford in the first, getting singles from its first two hitters before Jacob Hoyle's two-run double with one out put the Catamounts on the board. WCU was far from done, getting RBI singles from Kramer Ferrell and Brett Pope before a three-run home run to left by Jason Smith made it a six-run spread.

The Bulldogs got two of those runs back in the second, taking advantage of three free passes from Western Carolina starter Bryan Sammons, who walked the bases loaded with no one out. Richard Greene got Samford on the board with a two-run single through the left side, but Sammons settled down after that, striking out the next three batters to escape further damage and leave two aboard.

Sammons went on to strike out the side in the third and the first batter of the Samford fourth to run his streak to seven-straight batters punched out.

The Bulldogs again loaded the bases in the sixth inning, capitalizing on a pair of walks and a hit batter. Damon Waller drew a third walk to force in a run and end Sammons's day. Danny Rodriguez greeted WCU freshman reliever Brendan Nail with a two-run single to make it 6-5, but Waller was out on the play trying to go from first to third. After a fly out, Rodriguez was picked off of first as Western Carolina limited the damage and closed the book on Sammons.

The Catamounts threatened to get some of those runs back in the seventh but stranded a pair. WCU did give itself a little breathing room the following inning, as Reece Strong's sacrifice fly scored Matthew Koehler to make it 7-5, but Samford would complete its comeback the following inning to force the decisive extra frame.

Samford closer Andres Gracia was the beneficiary of the late-inning heroics, as he improved to 3-0 on the season with a hitless inning of work. Starter Ledford took a no-decision, allowing seven runs on 10 hits and two walks in 7 1/3 innings.

Junior reliever Taylor Durand (0-3) took the loss, issuing two walks and an unearned run over two-thirds of an innings. Sammons turned in an interesting line on the day, allowing five runs on just one hit but eight walks. He struck out a career-high 10 in just five innings of work.

All told, the Catamount pitching staff struck out 17 batters on the day, as Nail fanned a career-high seven in three and two-thirds innings of relief, twice striking out the side.

Hoyle led the Catamounts with a 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI in his return to the lineup after missing significant time this season with injury. He last played April 10 prior to starting Wednesday's contest. Jason Smith finished 2-for-4 with three RBI on the tournament's first home run, while Matt Smith finished 2-for-5.

Navarrete had Samford's only multi-hit day as the Bulldogs only recorded six hits on the day - a total WCU collected in the opening frame. Greene and Rodriguez both had two RBI.