GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Nathan Hyatt threw eight strong innings to lead Appalachian State to a 10-2 victory over Furman in Southern Conference baseball action Saturday afternoon at Latham Stadium.

Hyatt, a sophomore from Brevard, N.C., handcuffed Furman (16-16, 7-6 SoCon) offensively, allowing only four hits and no earned runs to help Appalachian State (17-15, 5-9 SoCon) knot the three-game series at a game apiece heading into Sunday's 1:00 p.m. finale. The right-hander, who retired the final nine batters he faced and threw 115 pitches, 77 of which were strikes, walked three and struck out six before departing with a 9-2 lead. 

Appalachian State banged out 12 hits in the contest, with Jack Myers, Zach Briggs, and Daniel Kassouf, and Preston Troutman collecting two hits apiece. Jeremy Dowdy drove in a pair of runs with a two-run single in the sixth.

Reese Wade doubled and had two of Furman's four hits.

The Mountaineers combined a hit with two Paladin errors and two walks to plate a pair of unearned runs in the fourth.

Furman tied it at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth with two unearned runs.

ASU took the lead for good in the fifth on Briggs' third home run of the year, a solo shot to left field off Paladin starting and losing pitcher Daniel Stallsmith (3-2).

The Mountaineers blew the game open in the sixth, sending 11 men to the plate and bunched three hits with three walks, two hit batsmen, a balk, and a wild pitch to tally six runs. Preston Troutman was hit by a pitch to lead off and later scored the first run of the frame after a Stallsmith pitch hit Trey Holmes with the bases loaded. Stallsmith's replacement, Matt Plate, walked Myers to force in another run, and then yielded a two-run single to Jeremy Dowdy. Kassouf and Troutman finished off the big inning with RBI singles for a 9-2 lead.

Stallsmith allowed seven runs, five of which were earned, on seven hits and four walks over 5 1/3 innings.

Pictured:  Reese Wade