Charlotte 4, Furman 1
Charlotte 16, Furman 2 (5 inn.)
Charlotte, N.C. -- Haley Wiseman pitched Charlotte to a 4-1 victory in game one and the 49ers pounded out 16 runs on 18 hits against Furman pitching in 16-2 game two triumph to claim a doubleheader sweep of the Paladins on Wednesday at Phillips Stadium.
Charlotte 4, Furman 1
Charlotte plated four runs in the bottom of the third inning and Wiseman worked out of two bases loaded jams as the 49ers downed Furman 4-1 in game one of the doubleheader.
Lizzy Birch reached on a leadoff walk and Erin Powers followed with a single for the 49ers in the bottom of the third. A passed ball put both runners in scoring position and Birch raced home to score the game's first run when
Kiersten Berrier reached base on a one-out fielder's choice. Meredith Harris followed with a 2-run single to left field to up the margin to 3-0 and Grace Beatty capped the four-run inning with an RBI double down the line with two outs.
A pair of walks and a single loaded the bases for the Paladins in the top of the fourth, ,but Candace Johnson bounced into a fielder's choice and Brittany Houston struck out to end the threat. In the sixth, AnnaRose Borrelli doubled, moved to third base on a wild pitch and scored on Elise Smith's infield single. Kalie Hicks delivered a single and Casey Bigham reached on an error to load the bases with one out, but a strikeout and popup to the pitcher once again thwarted the bases loaded threat.
Wiseman surrendered just one run on five hits over seven innings to improve to 12-8 in the circle. She fanned six Paladins and allowed only two walks.
Lindsey Bert (7-7) suffered the loss for the Paladins after allowing four runs on six hits in six innings of work. The junior struck out seven batters in the loss.
Powers collected two hits for the 49ers, while Smith went 2-for-3 for the Paladins.
Charlotte 16, Furman 2
The 49ers used the big inning to rout the Paladins, 16-2, in the nightcap.
Haley Pace highlighted a three-run first inning with a two-run triple for Charlotte. Pace started another three-run rally in the third by drawing a leadoff walk and stealing second base. She scored on a sacrifice fly and Alex Paulson's two-run single upped the 49er lead to 6-0.
Furman got on the board in the top of the fourth as Lauren Duggar delivered a two-out, two-run double, but Charlotte answered by scoring 10 runs on eight hits against three Paladin pitchers in the bottom of the frame to put the game away.
Harris and Pace singled to start the frame and Emma Ocker greeted reliever Elise Smith with a base hit. Seven straight batters reached against Smith, including two-run doubles from Birch and Berrier. Bert came on in relief of Smith, but Harris welcomed the Paladin left-hander with a two-run blast to up the lead to 16-2.
Seven 49ers collected at least two hits in the game, led by three-hit efforts from Harris, Ocker and Gray. Paulson drove in three runs for Charlotte (18-13), while Harris and Pace each scored three runs.
Starter Alison Green (4-3) earned the win for the 49ers. She allowed just two runs on seven hits in four innings of work.
Furman's Emily Demonte (4-7) was touched for eight runs on 11 hits in 3.1 innings to absorb the loss.
Hannah Reynolds went 2-for-2 with a double and Smith added two hits for the Paladins, who stranded a total of 16 runners in the twinbill.
Furman (14-14) opens Southern Conference play this weekend when it travels to Birmingham, Ala., to face defending SoCon champion Samford in a three-game series. The Paladins and Bulldogs will play a doubleheader on Saturday before concluding the series with a single game on Sunday.
Jordan Caskey, Furman Sports Information
