Game 1: Furman 7, Winthrop 6

Game 2: Furman 5, Winthrop 2

Greenville, S.C. -- Junior Candace Johnson delivered a walk-off double in game one and sophomore Lindsey Bert collected a pair of victories in the circle as Furman completed a doubleheader sweep of Winthrop 7-6, 5-2 on Tuesday at Pepsi Stadium.

With the sweep, Furman climbed to 22-22 on the season. The Eagles dipped to 13-32.

GAME 1
Candace Johnson collected three hits, reached base four times and delivered the game-winning hit to guide the Paladins to a 7-6, come-from-behind win in the opening game.

With Furman trailing 6-5 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Emma Ogburn worked a one-out walk to give the Paladins a base runner. Pinch runner Lauren Duggar swiped second base and scored when Andrea Abbatiello drove in her third run of the game with a single to right field.

After entering the game to pitch the eighth, Bert stranded the international tiebreaking runner on base by inducing a pop up and ground out before fanning Chace Helms to end the inning. With Taylor Collins placed on second base to start the Furman half of the eighth, Johnson ripped a one-out double into right-center to seal the victory.

Bert earned the win for her scoreless inning of work after senior Alex Sappington had thrown two scoreless innings in relief of Paladin starter Emily Demonte. In five innings of work, Demonte allowed just four hits but was charged with six runs, five unearned.

Furman took a 1-0 lead in the first on a bases loaded walk before Winthrop evened the game on an RBI single by Blake Wallert in the top of the second inning. After AnnaRose Borrelli reached base on a walk and scored on Hannah Reynolds' single and a Winthrop error to open the bottom of the third, Andrea Abbatiello hammered a two-run homer off of the scoreboard in left-center field to stake the Paladins to a 4-1 advantage. Houston doubled into the gap and scored the fourth run of the frame on Johnson's two-out single up the middle.

The Paladins came unraveled in the top of the fifth when a leadoff walk and two errors loaded the bases for the Eagles with one out. Megan Winningham lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, Leah Young singled to drive in a second run and Zharne Glover belted a three-run shot to left field off of Demonte to give Winthrop a 6-5 lead.

Johnson finished 3-for-4 with two RBI, while Abbatiello went 2-for-4 with three runs batted in for the Paladins in game one.

Helms, working in relief of starter Keleigh Romine, took the loss for Winthrop. She allowed two runs on four hits over five-plus innings of work.

GAME 2
Bert finished off the Paladins sweep and improved to 13-13 in the circle with her second win of the day by allowing only two runs on six hits in a complete-game effort in game two.

A native of Tallahassee, Fla., Bert recorded six strikeouts and issued just three walks over seven innings. The left-hander started Furman's first inning rally with a two-out single and scored on Elise Smith's double off of the left-center field fence. Taylor Vahle followed with a base hit to left-center to score Smith and give Furman an early 2-0 lead.

Winthrop tied the game in the top of the fourth inning. Bert plunked Tara Loken with a two-out pitch and Eagles' pitcher Kiley Majette followed with her first career homer, a two-run blast to center field, to knot the game at 2-2.

In the bottom of the fourth, Ogburn singled and Collins worked a base on balls to start the frame. After a sacrifice bunt by Houston and strikeout by Abbatiello, Johnson hit a routine grounder to shortstop. Winthrop's Haley Zuehlke fielded the ball immediately after Collins crossed in front of her, but then dropped the ball and made no effort to throw to first. The umpire ruled that no interference occurred and Zuehlke was charged with an error as Ogburn scored. Sieara Bishop made the most of the extra out as she ripped a two-run double into the gap to extend the Paladin lead to 5-2.

Bert held Winthrop scoreless over the final three frames to secure the sweep.

Majette (6-12) took the loss for the Eagles after surrendering five runs on eight hits in six innings of work.

Bishop finished 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI, while Smith collected two doubles in as many at bats for the Paladins.

Furman travels to Greensboro, N.C., to face UNCG in a three-game Southern Conference series on Saturday and Sunday at UNCG Softball Stadium. Saturday's 1 p.m. doubleheader and Sunday's 1 p.m. series finale can be viewed on the SoCon Digital Network. Links for the SDN broadcast and live statistics will be available at FurmanPaladins.com.


Jordan Caskey, Furman Sports Information