GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Joe Tietjen belted a two-run home run in a five-run third inning, helping UNC Asheville to a big lead, and the Bulldogs held on to beat Furman, 7-6, in baseball action Wednesday evening at Latham Stadium.

The win evened UNCA's record at 8-8 on the season while Furman fell to 7-8 with the loss.

With the Builldogs already up 4-0 following a two-run single by Pete Guy, Tietjen, a sophomore center fielder, rocketed an offering from Furman starting pitcher Billy Greenfield (0-3) over the left field fence to score Guy ahead of him and stretch UNCA's advantage to 6-0.

Furman, which battled back from a 5-0 deficit to take an 8-5 lead in Tuesday's eventual 9-8, 10-inning loss at UNC Asheville, mounted its second comeback in as many days, scoring once in the fourth, three in the sixth, and two more in the eighth to make a game of it.

Chris Ohmstede's leadoff home run in the fourth, his fourth of the season and 34th roundtripper of his career, just one shy of the school record, got the Paladins on the board.

In the sixth Griffin Davis's bad hop RBI single up the middle drove home Cameron Whitehead, and Jordan Simpson deposited the next pitch by Bulldog starting pitcher Spencer Orr onto the hill behind the left field fence to slice the Bulldogs' lead to 6-4.

UNCA scratched pushed across a run in the seventh on a Derek Smith double down the right field line that scored Tietjen to make it 7-4.

Furman opened the eighth with back to back doubles by Whitehead and Davis and a Simpson RBI single to pull within a run, but after Simpson was sacrificed to second the Paladins' rally stalled.  Bulldog reliever Nick Schavone retired Sims Griffith on an infield pop and ended the threat by getting Sky Overton to bounce into a fielder's choice.

Schavone retired the Paladins in order in the ninth to preserve the win and earn his fourth save.

Greenfield was charged with the loss after yielding six runs, five of which were earned, on six hits in just 2 1/3 innings of work.  He walked two and struck out a pair.

Headed up by sophomore right-hander Matthew Quarles, who tossed 3 2/3 innings of shutout ball, four Paladin relievers combined to surrender just one run while striking out seven over the final 6 2/3 frames.

Bulldog starter Spencer Orr (1-0) picked up the win, working 5 2/3 innings and allowing four runs on seven hits.

Riley Smith and Justin Woods paced UNC Asheville's 13-hit game with 3-for-5 performances.  Joe Zayatz, meanwhile, went 2-for-5 with an RBI and scored two runs.

Furman finished with 11 hits, including two each by Whitehead, who doubled twice, Davis, and Simpson.  Davis drove in a pair of runs and scored twice.

The Paladins play three games this weekend at Fluor Field in downtown Greenville, facing Connecticut on Friday at 5:00 p.m., Michigan State on Saturday at 3:00 p.m., and USC Upstate beginning at 3:00 p.m. Sunday.

Hunter Reid, Furman Sports Information