Chattanooga, Tenn. -- Chattanooga's Sam Taylor went 3-for-4 and scored two runs, and Furman stranded seven runners in scoring position as the Mocs edged the Paladins, 5-4, in the rubber game of a three-game Southern Conference series on Saturday at Jim Frost Stadium.

The loss dropped Furman to 16-16 overall and 1-2 in the league, while Chattanooga improved to 19-16 overall and 2-1 in the SoCon.

Furman grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first as Candace Johnson doubled and scored on Sieara Bishop's one-out double. The Mocs answered immediately as Taylor opened the bottom of the frame with a double and scored on Jordan Fortel's base hit. Cricket Blanco later doubled to drive in Fortel and give the Mocs a 2-1 lead.

Taylor made the Paladins pay again in the third inning as her single started a stretch of three consecutive hits to begin the frame. The leadoff hitter raced home on a sacrifice fly to up the Chattanooga advantage to 3-1.

After Furman left the bases loaded in the top of the fourth, Katie Corum ripped a solo homer to extend the margin to 4-1. The Paladins got a run on Sieara Bishop's solo homer, but left two more runners in scoring position in the top of the fifth, and the Mocs upped their cushion to 5-1 in the bottom of the frame by plating a run on Kaitlyn Palazzolo's safety squeeze.

In the seventh, AnnaRose Borrelli belted a two-run blast to left field with one out and Elise Smith followed with a single, but Chattanooga pitcher Cori Jennings retired the next two batters to end Furman's threat.

Jennings (8-4) won despite allowing four runs on 14 hits over seven innings. She did not issue a walk and recorded two strikeouts.

Paladin starter Emily Demonte (6-4) took the loss. She allowed seven hits and four runs in three-plus innings in the circle.

Bishop went 3-for-4 with a double and a homer for the Paladins, while Emma Ogburn also collected three hits, including a double.

Furman returns home to host Georgia State in a 3 p.m. doubleheader on Wednesday at Pepsi Stadium. The twinbill will be streamed live on the SoCon Digital Network and live statistics will be provided through StatBroadcast. Links for both can be found at FurmanPaladins.com.


Jordan Caskey, Furman Sports Information