Game 1 Boxscore

Game 2 Boxscore

Auburn, Ala. -- Furman Softball notched its first win of the season on Saturday by scoring four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to rally past Appalachian State, 5-3, in the nightcap at the Plainsmen Invitational at Auburn's Jane B. Moore Field. No. 4 Auburn topped Furman 9-2 in the Paladins' first game of the day.

Game 1

Auburn took advantage of three Furman errors and used a five-run seventh to pull away from the Paladins on Saturday afternoon, 9-2.

The nationally-ranked Tigers took advantage of a dropped fly ball to centerfield in the top of the second inning to plate two runs on RBI singles from Madi Gipson and Tiffany Howard. Furman loaded the bases in the bottom of the frame on an Elise Smith walk and singles by AnnaRose Borrelli and Taylor Vahle, but Auburn's Marcy Harper recorded a strikeout and induced a 1-2-3 double play to end the Paladin threat.

Auburn doubled its lead in the top of the fifth when Kasey Cooper lined a two-run homer down the right field line to up the margin to 4-0.  In the top of the seventh, the Tigers plated their fifth run on a sacrifice fly following Whitney Jordan's leadoff double and steal of third base. Jena Abbott delivered a pinch-hit, two-run triple to up the margin to 7-0 before two Furman errors allowed two more Auburn runs to cross.

The Paladins tried to mount a rally in the bottom of the seventh as Borrelli drew a leadoff walk and Kalie Hicks followed with a pinch-hit double down the left field line. Pinch hitter Hannah Reynolds singled through the right side to put Furman on the board and Brittany Houston followed with an RBI single to right to pull Furman within 9-2, but a line drive double play and fly out helped Auburn secure the win.

Harper (2-0) scattered four hits over five innings to earn the win for the Tigers. She issued one walk and struck out three Paladins. Howard went 3-for-4 at the plate, while Cooper went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs.

Sophomore Lindsey Bert took the loss for Furman after allowing nine runs, five earned, on nine hits over seven innings. The Tallahassee, Fla., native walked two batters and fanned three. Junior Candace Johnson went 2-for-3 at the plate for Furman.

Game 2

In the nightcap, Furman rallied from a 3-1 deficit to upend the Mountaineers of Appalachian State 5-3.

After Furman took a 1-0 lead in the first on Borrelli's two-out, RBI double into the left field corner, Appalachian State plated solo runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings off of Paladin starter Emily Demonte, including solo homers by Heather Josey and Pepper Butler.

Furman fought back in the bottom of the sixth when Johnson opened the frame with a line drive single to center field and Sieara Bishop followed with a sharp single to left. Borrelli worked a walk from Mountaineer reliever Vanessa Ciocatto to load the bases with nobody out. Ciocatto got Houston to pop out down the right field line, but pinch hitter Taylor Vahle delivered a big blow when she ripped a bases clearing triple into the right-center field gap to give the Paladins a 4-3 lead. Emma Ogburn doubled the lead with an RBI double to right-center.

Bert (1-1) sat down Appalachian State in order in the top of the seventh to earn her first win of the season. She allowed just a hit and a walk in three innings of relief after Demonte allowed two earned runs over four innings of work.

Borrelli went 2-for-2 with a double and a walk, while reached safely all three times up with a single and two walks.

Ciocatto (0-2) took the loss for Appalachian State giving up four runs on four hits in 1.2 innings of work.

The Paladins (1-2) cap tournament play on Sunday morning when they face the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at 10:30 a.m. CST/11:30 a.m. EST. Live stats will be available by logging onto www.FurmanPaladins.com.


Jordan Caskey, Furman Sports Information