Auburn, Ala. – Senior Stephanie Field went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI while junior Lauren Collier allowed just one run in six innings in the circle to lead Furman to a 3-1 victory over Austin Peay Sunday morning in the Plainsman Invitational at Jane B. Moore Field.

Furman finished its season-opening weekend at 3-1 and clinched at least a second place finish in the five-team tournament. Austin Peay slipped to 1-2 with its second straight loss.

Field, a native of Sarasota, Fla., opened the scoring in the top of the third with a double off the left-center field wall to plate Taylor Jenkins.  

After Austin Peay's Jessica Ryan knotted the score with an RBI double in the bottom of the third, the Paladins claimed the lead for good in the top of the sixth inning.  Collier opened the inning with a single and pinch runner Alexis Galinski moved to second base when Sieara Bishop was plunked by a pitch for the second time in the game.  Ambree Muller followed with a bunt that got away from APSU's Laurel Burroughs covering second base and allowed Galinski to race home for the go ahead run.

In the seventh inning, Furman added an insurance run as Sarah Eidt opened the frame with a double into the gap and scored on Field's single to left-center.

Collier, who improved to 2-0 on the season, scattered three hits and issued just two walks while fanning four batters in her six innings of work before giving way to freshman Meaghan Houston.  The rookie lefthander allowed only a walk as she tossed a scoreless seventh inning to notch her second save of the weekend.

Houston, who appeared in all four games on the weekend, gave up just one run on two hits in nine innings of work.  Along with her two wins in the circle, Collier paced the Paladin offense batting .455 with three doubles and four RBI thru four games.  Field and Eidt each contributed two doubles in the tournament.

Furman returns to action on February 16, when it travels to Boiling Springs, N.C., to battle Gardner-Webb in an afternoon doubleheader.