Game One Box Score (PDF)

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Gardner-Webb swept a baseball doubleheader from Furman on Saturday at Latham Stadium, claiming a 15-3 win in game one and 7-6 decision in the second game.

The two teams will wrap up the three-game weekend series Sunday with a 2:00 p.m. at Gardner-Webb's John Henry Moss Stadium.

In the opener Gardner-Webb's Matt Fraudin (1-0) pitched seven strong innings and got more than ample offensive support to cruise to the 15-3 victory.  The junior right-hander limited Furman to just four hits and an unearned run while striking out seven over seven frames to earn the victory.

Fraudin and Furman starting pitcher Alex Abrams (2-1) dueled for five innings before the Bulldogs used four hits to strike for five runs and break the game open in the sixth.  A Jacob Walker solo home run to left center field got the inning going for the Bulldogs, who later got a two-run single from Blair Huggins to highlight the rally that gave Gardner-Webb a 7-0 lead.

After the Paladins pushed across an unearned run in the bottom of the inning, the Bulldogs tacked on three runs in the seventh and five more in the eighth en route to the easy victory.

Gardner-Webb pounded out 16 hits, led by JJ Nazzaro, who went 2-for-4 and drove in three rurns, and  Tyler Best, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI.  Huggins and Walker also registered two RBI for the Bulldogs.

Greg Harrison had two of Furman's seven hits.

Abrams was charged with the loss after surrendering seven runs on nine hits over six innings.  He walked four and struck out one.

In the second game Gardner-Webb combined five hits with three Furman errors in the eighth inning to rally from a 4-1 deficit to take the 7-6 victory and doubleheader sweep.

Furman got on the board in the third against Bulldog starting pitcher Andrew Barnett, getting a two-out, two-run single from Abrams to take a 3-0 lead.

The advantage stood behind the solid pitching of Paladin starter Matt Solter, who allowed a leadoff double to Henry Rudino and triple to Simmons in the seventh that cut it to 3-1.  Solter gave way to Billy Greenfield, who got out of the jam after Gardner-Webb failed to execute a squeeze play and Huggins struck out.

The Paladins got the run back in bottom of the seventh on a Hunter Burton RBI that scored twin brother Heath Burton from second base, but the advantage was short-lived as Gardner-Webb turned the game around with a five-run eighth aided by three Paladin errors.

The Bulldogs made it 7-4 in the ninth after Scott Johnson doubled and scored on a Scott Coleman single.

Furman made it interesting in its final turn at the plate, getting a two-out RBI double from Hunter Burton that cut it a 7-5.  The Paladins sliced it to 7-6 after Sky Overton raced home on a wild pitch.  With the tying run at third base, Bulldog reliever Andrew Massey recovered to get Jordan Simpson on an infield pop to end the game and earn his second save of the season.

The win went to Barnett (3-0), who came within an out of going the distance.  He allowed all six runs on 10 hits over 8 2/3 innings, walking two and fanning six.

The loss was charged to Brant Masters (0-1) in relief. He yielded the three runs, only one of which was earned, on five hits in just 2/3 of an inning.

Solter pitched well, allowing only a run on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings of work.

Gardner-Webb out-hit Furman 14-10 in the game, getting a 3-for-5, two-RBI performance from Coleman and 3-for-4, two-run display from Simmons.

Hunter Burton led Furman at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBI.  Abrams had two hits in four at bats and drove in a pair of runs.